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FFTH  AVENUE 
EVENTS 


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From  a  photograph.  CoUecHon  of  Pack  Bros. 

THE   DEWEY  ARCH. 

Temporarily  erected  at  the  junction  of  Broadway  and  Fifth  Avenue  in  honor  of 
Admiral  George  Dewey  at  the  time  of  his  reception  by  New  York. 


FIFTH  AVENUE 
EVENTS 


'iA  brief  ^Account  of  some 

of  the  most  Interesting  Events 

yphich  have  Occurred 

on  the  lAvenue 


'■^4 


^  I 


Vrinted  for 

The  Fifth  Avenue  Bank 

of  New  York 

1916 


f^i- 


Copyright,   1916, 

BY 

The  Fifth  Avenue  Bank  of  New  York 


67 


.••  -<  -•< 


Written,  designed  and  printed  under  direction  of  the 

Walton  Advertising  and  Printing  Company 
Boston,  Mass. 


FOREWORD 

50  MUCH  interest  was  shown  by  the  clientele  of  The  Fifth 
Avenue  Bank  of  New  York  in  its  recent  monograph  on  the 
I  History  of  Fifth  Avenue,  that  the  Bank,  which  for  over  forty 
years  has  been  peculiarly  the  bank  of  Fifth  Avenue,  whose  name 
it  bears,  has  ventured  the  publication  of  another  brochure.  This 
narrates  some  of  the  most  interesting  events  that  have  occurred  on 
the  Avenue.  The  Bank  hopes  that  it  will  prove  as  interesting  as  was 
the  first. 

The  author  desires  to  acknowledge  the  assistance  given  in  the 
preparation  of  this  book  by  Clarence  S.  Brigham,  Librarian  American 
Antiquarian  Society;  New  York  Public  Library;  Harper  &  Brothers; 
Mrs.  Robert  W.  de  Forest;  Philip  Baer,  Librarian  City  Clerk's 
Office,  New  York  City;  Michael  B.  Abrahams,  Librarian  New  York 
Times;  John  D.  Crimmins;  J.  Clarence  Davies;  E.  N.  Tailer;  G.  L. 
Gilham;   P.  B.  Boden;  Dr.  F.  M.  Clendenin;  John  S.  Billings. 

He  is  also  indebted  to  the  following  authorities:  New  York  Tri- 
bune; New  York  Times;  New  York  Herald;  New  York  Daily  Express; 
Harper'' s  Weekly;  "History  of  New  York  City,"  Lossing;  "History 
of  New  York  City,"  W.  L.  Stone;  Morning  Courier  and  New  York 
Enquirer;  "New  York  and  its  Institutions";  "Story  of  the  Volunteer 
Fire  Department,"  Sheldon;  King's  Handbook  of  New  York;  Maga- 
zine of  American  History;  "Fires  and  Fire  Fighters,"  John  Kenlon; 
"New  York  by  Sunlight  and  Gaslight";   the  Peterson  Magazine. 

To  those  not  familiar  with  The  Fifth  Avenue  Bank  a  few  words 
here  about  its  history  and  scope  may  be  interesting.  The  Bank, 
which  commenced  doing  business  October  13,  1875,  opened  in  the 
basement  of  the  old  Sherwood  house  at  531  Fifth  Avenue,  across  the 
street  from  its  present  location.  Its  purpose  was  to  furnish  a  place 
of  deposit  for  those  who  resided  or  did  business  in  this  part  of  the  city; 
and  it  was  thought  at  least  50,000  people  were  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Bank  who  needed  adequate  banking  facilities. 

The  first  president  was  Philip  Van  Volkenburgh;  the  first  vice- 
president,  John  H.  Sherwood,  a  prominent  builder  who  was  the  pioneer 
in  the  erection  of  high-class  residences  north  of  42d  Street,  and  did 
much  to  establish  upper  Fifth  Avenue  as  an  exclusive  residential 
section.  The  first  cashier  was  A.  S.  Frissell,  long  president  of  the 
Bank,  and  now  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  having  recently 
been  succeeded  as  president  by  Theodore  Hetzler.  The  original 
Board  of  Directors  was,  in  addition  to  the  officers,  James  Buell,  John 
B.  Cornell,  Jonathan  Thorne,  Gardner  Wetherbee,  William  H.  Lee, 
Russell  Sage,  Webster  Wagner,  Joseph  S.  Lowrey,  Charles  S.  Smith, 
and  Joseph  Thompson.  The  original  rental  of  the  office  in  the  base- 
ment of  the  Sherwood  house  was  $2,600,  including  gas  and  heating 


357079 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


the  rooms — a  ridiculously  low  rate  considering  the  present  range  of 
Fifth  Avenue  prices. 

About  1890  the  Bank  moved  to  its  present  site  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  44th  Street,  then  the  residence  of  John  B. 
Cornell,  which  had  been  built  in  1866.  It  later  bought  the  adjoining 
residence  of  Manton  Marble,  former  editor  of  the  World. 

An  interesting  feature  in  connection  with  the  history  of  the  Bank 
is  that  from  1626,  when  Peter  Minuit  bought  the  whole  of  Manhattan 
Island  from  the  aborigines  for  about  ^24  in  cheap  trinkets,  there 
have  been  but  four  transfers  of  the  corner  on  which  the  Bank  stands. 

In  periods  of  financial  distress  The  Fifth  Avenue  Bank  has  always 
been  able  to  ofi'er  its  patrons  the  support  needed  to  tide  them  over 
many  a  difficult  situation.  Its  growth  has  been  steady,  and  among 
its  large  number  of  depositors  may  be  found  the  names  of  some  of  the 
best-known  firms  in  the  city  and  many  of  the  families  which  have 
long  been  prominent  either  socially  or  financially  in  New  York  City. 

No  small  part  of  its  success  has  been  due  to  the  especial  attention 
it  gives  to  personal  and  family  accounts,  of  which  it  has  an  unusually 
large  number.  Among  other  banking  institutions  to  which  many 
of  the  young  men  it  has  trained  have  gone  to  accept  ofl[icial  positions, 
it  is  often  spoken  of  as  "the  kindergarten  of  bankers."  It  offers,  in 
addition  to  its  banking  facilities,  a  thoroughly  equipped  safe  deposit 
vault  with  every  modern  convenience  for  the  individual  as  well  as 
the  corporation.  Should  you  contemplate  the  establishing  of  banking 
relations,  it  hopes  you  will  give  its  officers  an  opportunity  to  explain 
some  of  the  advantages  it  has  to  offer. 


Reproduction 
of  a  silk  badge 
(actual  size) 
worn  at  the  lay- 
ing of  the  corner 
stone  of  the 
Washington 
Monument,  in 
what  was  then 
Hamilton  Square. 
The  Square  ex- 
tended from 
Fifth  Avenue  to 
Third  Avenue, 
66th  to  68th 
Streets. 


The  crooked 
appearance  of 
the  monument 
is  due  to  the  silk 
threads  that  run 
across  the  badge 
pulling  when  the 
emblem  was 
printed.  The 
original  is  in  the 
collection  of 
John  D.  Crim- 
mins. 


A'eH-  y^'^  -^'^-^  ^^^  ^''^■' 

iSVt. 


FIFTH      AVENUE 
EVENTS 


IFTH  AVENUE  has  had  its  part  in  making  history. 
The  history  has  not  been  the  kind  that  lives  in 
school-books  or  furnishes  chapters  to  a  Bancroft  or  a 
Rhodes,  but  that  which  is  buried  in  the  transient 
columns  of  ephemeral  publications.  It  is  of  wide 
interest,  however,  for  many  of  the  social,  civic,  and 
military  events  which  haVe  taken  place  on  the  Avenue 
have  a  national  as  well  as  a  local  aspect. 
Most  residents  of  New  York,  as  well  as  those  who  live  elsewhere, 
conceive  of  Fifth  Avenue  as  wholly  given  up  to  palatial  homes,  exclu- 
sive shops,  and  great  business  interests.  Few  realize  that  the  Avenue 
has  become  the  national  banquet  hall  where  heroes  and  statesmen 
have  been  feted,  or  the  parade  ground  toward  which  a  nation  has 
turned  to  witness  great  demonstrations  in  celebration  of  national 
events  of  a  civic  or  military  or  mournful  nature.  Along  it  have  gone 
to  the  music  of  dirges  and  the  sound  of  mournful  drums  the  funeral 
corteges  of  many  of  the  country's  leading  statesmen  and  greatest 
men,  and  here,  too,  have  occurred  riots  and  disastrous  fires  which 
have  startled  the  city  and  shocked  the  nation. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  this  book  to  present  some  of  the  most  interest- 
ing events  of  which  the  Avenue  has  been  the  scene,  and  to  gather 
together  many  occurrences  that  have  either  been  forgotten  or  linger 
as  dim  recollections  in  the  minds  of  old  residents. 

Space  does  not  permit  an  inclusion  of  all  the  interesting  events,  for 
a  large  volume  could  not  contain  them.  Here,  however,  may  be 
found,  the  compiler  hopes,  most  of  the  events  worth  recording. 

RECEPTIONS,  BANQUETS,  AND  WEDDINGS 

If  all  of  the  nation's  guests  who  have  come  to  New  York  and  been 
entertained  on  Fifth  Avenue  were  named  and  the  particulars  of  their 


8  FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 

stay  enumerated,  these  pages  would  be  insufficient  to  tell  the  story. 
Representative  social  events  of  a  national  rather  than  a  local  nature, 
therefore,  have  been  selected. 

One  of  the  earliest  and  most  notable  visits  was  that  late  in  i860 
by  Edward  VII,  then  Prince  of  Wales,  and  heir  to  the  throne  of 
England.  Less  than  a  decade  later  Charles  Dickens,  master  of  Brit- 
ish humor,  was  feted  at  Delmonico's;  and  here  in  1871  was  tendered 
a  banquet  to  Grand  Duke  Alexis  Alexandrovitch  of  Russia  by  the 
New  York  Yacht  Club.  Later  occurred  the  visit  of  Li  Hung  Chang, 
the  Chinese  statesman  who  was  a  guest  at  the  Hotel  Waldorf,  and 
still  later  came  Prince  Henry  of  Prussia,  brother  of  the  Kaiser,  who 
was  entertained  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria. 

The  coming  to  New  York,  in  October,  i860,  of  the  future  Edward 
VII  of  England,  son  of  Queen  Victoria,  at  that  time  the  nineteen- 
year-old  Prince  of  Wales,  was  the  occasion  of  great  festivities  on  Fifth 
Avenue.  On  Thursday,  October  11,  the  revenue  cutter  Harriet  Lane 
The  Prince  brought  the  Prince  and  his  suite  to  New  York  from  South  Amboy. 
of  Wales'  The  landing  at  Castle  Garden  was  made  amid  the  booming  of  can- 
Visit  to  New  j^Qj^^  |.j^g  blare  of  bands,  and  enthusiastic  demonstrations  of  wel- 
^^  come  from  a  vast  crowd  that  packed  the  water  front  and  adjacent 
streets. 

At  the  Battery  Mayor  Fernando  Wood,  attended  by  a  throng  of 
city  officials  headed  by  Alderman  F.  I.  A.  Boole  and  the  committee  of 
reception,  formally  welcomed  the  Prince  to  New  York.  With  two 
troops  of  cavalry  attached  to  the  Seventh  and  Eighth  Regiments 
as  an  escort,  the  carriages  containing  the  Prince  and  his  party 
moved  up  Broadway.  In  the  procession  were  the  First,  Second, 
Third,  and  Fourth  Brigades  of  New  York  Militia,  with  the  Kings 
County  Military.  The  route  of  the  parade  was  from  Broadway  along 
the  east  side  of  Union  Square,  west  on  17th  Street  to  Fifth  Avenue, 
and  up  Fifth  Avenue  to  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel,  where  the  royal  party 
was  to  put  up.  The  sidewalks,  roof-tops,  and  windows  along  the  way 
were  jammed  with  the  greatest  crowd  that  New  York's  streets  had 
ever  seen,  a  throng  estimated  at  250,000.  On  all  sides  the  Eng- 
lish and  American  flags  blended  in  a  tangled  drift  of  color;  brilliantly 
hued  decorations  and  mottoes — "Welcome,  Victoria's  Royal  Son," 
"God  Save  the  Queen,"  "Welcome,  Albert  Edward,"  "Welcome, 
Lord  Renfrew,"  etc.^covered  many  buildings;  and  the  crash  of 
martial  music,  the  heavy  tramp  of  the  marching  soldiery,  and  the 
cheers  of  the  applauding  thousands  mingled  in  one  deafening  outburst 
of  sound.  To  the  noisy  but  kindly  greeting  of  the  crowds  the  Prince 
replied  good-naturedly  with  bows  and  smiles,  and  his  graceful  courtesy, 
pleasant  face,  and  slender,  boyish  figure  instantly  won  their  warm  ap- 
proval. There  was  nothing  in  his  manner  by  which  a  casual  observer 
could  have  told  him  from  thousands  of  other  well-dressed  young  New 
Yorkers. 

In  front  of  the  City  Hall  the  Prince  and  his  suite  reviewed  the  parade 
from  a  raised  platform  and  then  he  resumed  his  place  at  the  head  of 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


From  an  engraving.  M  :    achusetts  Historical  Society. 

H.  R.  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  AS  HE  APPEARED  WHEN  HE  VISITED 

AMERICA. 

the  line.  As  the  column  swung  into  Fifth  Avenue  the  fall  afternoon 
was  drawing  to  a  close,  and  the  gathering  dusk  partly  obscured  the 
faces  of  the  royal  party  from  the  crowds. 

At  length,  about  6.30  p.m.,  the  royal  barouche  drove  around  the 
corner  of  23  d  Street  to  the  private  door  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel, 
and  the  Prince  quickly  entered.     "A  fleeting  vision  of  a  scarlet  coat, 


lO 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


Gardner 
Wetherhee*  s 
Remi- 
niscences of 
the  Prince 
of  Wales ' 
Visit 


and  a  white  plume  nodding  gracefully,  and  he  was  gone.  For  this 
thousands  had  stood  six  to  eight  hours." 

Many  persons  had  objected  to  the  Prince's  stopping  at  the  Fifth 
Avenue  Hotel  because  it  was  "so  far  up  town."  The  proprietors, 
Messrs.  Hitchcock  and  Darling,  had  spared  no  pains  to  make  the 
Prince's  apartments  as  comfortable  and  luxurious  as  possible. 

The  Prince  said  good-night  to  the  Mayor  and  Civic  Committee  in 
his  room,  but  although  night  had  fallen  the  open  space  between  the 
front  of  the  hotel  and  the  railing  of  the  park  across  the  Avenue  was 
still  black  with  a  mass  of  shouting,  cheering  humanity.  Preceded 
by  the  Duke  of  Newcastle  and  followed  by  Dr.  Ackerman,  Sir  Henry 
Holland,  General  Bruce,  Lord  Lyons,  Hon.  Mr.  Eliot,  the  Earl  of 
St.  Germans,  and  others  of  his  suite,  the  Prince  went  out  on  the 
balcony  of  the  hotel  and  bowed  his  thanks  to  the  plaudits  of  the 
crowd,  retiring  amid  wild  cheers. 

The  late  Mr.  Gardner  Wetherbee,  who  was  one  of  New  York's 
prominent  hotel-owners,  was  at  this  time  a  clerk  in  the  Fifth  Avenue 
Hotel.  He  said  that  the  jolly  young  Prince  was  much  bored  at  the 
fuss  and  feathers  made  over  his  coming  and  the  endless  ceremony 
and  red  tape  which  hedged  his  every  act,  and  related  that  the  future 
monarch  was  so  relieved  upon  reaching  his  apartments  after  the 
conclusion  of  the  parade  that  he  gleefully  threw  all  dignity  to  the  winds 
and  played  leap-frog  in  the  corridor  with  his  retinue. 

At  midnight  the  Prince,  who  had  retired  with  a  bad  headache, 
was  called  to  the  window  of  his  room  to  acknowledge  the  salutes  of 
the  Caledonia  Club.  Headed  by  Dodworth's  Band,  this  organization, 
most  of  whose  members  belonged  to  the  Scotch  Regiment  commanded 
by  Colonel  McLeay,  marched  up  Broadway  to  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel 
and  drew  up  opposite  the  Prince's  apartments.  A  serenade  was 
given  in  the  Prince's  honor,  the  band  playing  "God  Save  the  Queen," 
"Hail,  Columbia,"  and  other  national  airs,  and  a  roar  of  applause 
from  the  crowd  before  the  hotel  greeted  the  tired  young  visitor's 
appearance. 

The  morning  of  the  following  day,  Friday,  October  12,  i860,  was 
spent  by  the  Prince  and  his  suite  in  visiting  the  buildings  of  New 
York  University,  the  Astor  Library,  Cooper  Union,  the  Free  Academy, 
and  Central  Park. 

From  the  Free  Academy  the  four  carriages  containing  the  Prince 
and  his  suite  were  driven  to  Central  Park,  escorted  by  Police  Superin- 
tendent Kennedy.  On  the  way  other  carriages  joined  the  line,  so 
that  there  were  some  forty  in  the  procession  by  the  time  the  Park 
was  reached,  soon  after  noon.  The  royal  party  entered  Central  Park 
at  the  corner  of  59th  Street  and  Eighth  Avenue,  and  found  Messrs. 
C.  H.  Russell,  R.  M.  Blatchford,  T.  C.  Fields,  A.  H.  Green,  H.  G. 
Stebbins,  and  W.  Hutchins  of  the  Central  Park  Commission  waiting 
to  greet  them.  A  short  distance  southeast  of  the  Terrace  ground  had 
been  broken  for  the  planting  of  two  trees  by  the  Prince,  one  an  English 
oak,  the  other  an  American  elm. 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS  ii 

Here  the  Prince  and  his  suite  left  their  carriages,  and  Major-General   The  Prince 
Sandford  presented  Mr.  Blatchford  to  the  Prince.     After  an  address  plants  Trees 
by  Mr.  Blatchford,  a  crowd  of  workmen  about  two  hundred  in  num-  ^^  Central 
ber  formed  a  circle  about  the  place  to  keep  back  the  throng,  Mr.    "^^« 
Green  brought  forward  the  elm  tree,  and  the  Prince  shovelled  dirt 
on   the   roots   amid   the  cheers  of  the   spectators.     Then   the   party 
re-entered  their  carriages  and  were  driven  along  the  southern  side 
of  the  lake,  around  the  Circle  and  across  the  Terrace  to  the  carriage 
step  near  the  Cedars,  where  the  Prince  alighted  and  was  escorted  by 
Mr.  Green  through  the  Ramble,  past  the  rustic  summerhouses,  by 
the  iron  bridge  and  the  cave,  under  the  arch  and  over  the  oak  bridge 
to  the  driveway  on  the  west  of  the  Ramble,  where  the  others  of  the 
party  were  awaiting  them  in  the  carriages.     After  driving  along  the 
western  shore  of  the  lake,  the  Prince  and  his  suite  left  the  Park  at 
72d  Street. 

A  luncheon  at  Mayor  Wood's  residence  on  Bloomingdale  Road 
was  followed  by  visits  to  the  *Deaf  and  Dumb  Institution  at  Fort 
Washington,  and  the  Century  House  up  Kingsbridge  Road;  after 
which  the  party  boarded  a  steamer  and  were  shown  the  city  institu- 
tions on  the  islands.  The  day  closed  in  a  finale  of  splendor  with  a 
grand  ball  to  the  Prince  given  at  the  Academy  of  Music. 

Saturday,  October  13,  was  spent  by  the  visitors  in  visiting  Brady's 
photographic  studios,  corner  of  loth  Street  and  Broadway;   Barnum's 
Museum  on  Broadway;    General  Scott  at  his  12th  Street  residence; 
and  the  Broadway  store  of  Ball,  Black   &   Co.     On  Saturday  night  The 
the  New  York  firemen  gave  a  great  torchlight  parade  in  honor  of  the  Torchlight 
Prince.     Five  thousand  uniformed  men,  comprising  one  hundred  and  Parade 
four  companies,  with  apparatus  and  many  bands,  poured  like  a  river  ^  ^^^  ^^"^ 
of  fire  past  the  balcony  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel,  on  which  stood  p^^ 
the  young  Prince  with  his  suite  and  several  city  officials. 

It  was  nearly  half-past  nine  before  the  parade  reached  the  Fifth 
Avenue  Hotel.  The  appearance  of  the  Prince  on  the  balcony  was 
the  signal  for  a  great  discharge  of  fireworks  from  the  advancing 
column,  the  crowds  packing  the  sidewalks  before  the  hotel  burst  into 
a  roar  of  applause,  and  the  men  of  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No. 
12  threw  the  brilliant  beams  of  the  calcium  light,  lent  them  by  Pro- 
fessor R.  Ogden  Doremus — a  novelty  at  that  time — full  upon  the 
Prince,  outlining  his  boyish  figure  in  a  dazzling  glare  of  white  light, 
while  the  bands  crashed  out  the  British  anthem  and  thousands  of 
flaring  torches  danced  and  waved  against  the  inky  blackness  of  the 
beautiful  October  night.  It  was  a  wonderful  scene,  and  the  Prince 
was  openly  enthusiastic. 

As  the  first  steam  fire  engine  rolled  by  the  balcony  a  torrent  of 
shells  shot  skyward  from  its  smokestack  and  burst  into  a  thousand 
jewelled  points  of  gold  and  blue  and  green  and  crimson.  One  steamer 
went  past  with  its  stack  belching  fire  like  a  volcano,  in  imitation  of  a 
blazing  urn.  The  old  "Hay  Wagon"  rolled  by,  covered  with  flags 
and  drawn  by  Exempt  Engine  Company,  led  by  Mr.  Zophar  Mills. 


12 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


While  passing  down  the  Bowery  opposite  the  Cooper  Institute,  the 
fireworks  in  the  box  of  Columbian  Engine  No.  14  exploded,  the  ma- 
chine caught  fire,  and  before  the  flames  were  extinguished  much  of 
the  beautifully  carved  panelling  on  the  engine  was  destroyed. 

The  next  morning,  Sunday,  October  14,  i860,  the  Prince  with 
some  of  his  retinue  attended  services  in  Trinity  Church  and  heard  a 
sermon  by  Rev.  Dr.  Vinton.  The  Prince  and  his  suite  sat  in  the  first 
three  pews  on  the  south  side  of  the  aisle.  Near  him  sat  General 
Winfield  Scott,  while  Hon.  George  Bancroft  stood  in  the  aisle.  He 
passed  the  afternoon  quietly  at  the  hotel,  and  dined  in  the  evening 
with  Consuls  Archibald  and  Cartwright. 

On  Monday  morning,  October  15,  at  half-past  nine,  the  Prince  said 
farewell  to  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel,  and,  entering  a  plain  two-horse 
carriage  with  Mayor  Wood,  the  Duke  of  Newcastle,  and  the  Earl  of 
St.  Germans,  was  driven  down  Fifth  Avenue  on  his  way  to  the  harbor, 
where  the  cutter  Harriet  Lane  was  waiting  to  take  him  to  West  Point 
and  Albany.     His  visit  to  New  York,  brief  as  it  was,  had  yet  done 
much  to  cement  the  bonds  of  friendship  between  the  two  great  Eng- 
lish-speaking nations,  and  New  York  bade   him  Godspeed  with  genu- 
ine regret. 
Grants       At  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  in  1865,  General  Grant  came  to  New 
Reception  at  York,  and  the  people  of  the  city  were  enthusiastically  agreed  that  a 
Fifth  Avenue  testimonial  of  their  gratitude  must  be  given  to  the  General  who  had 
Hotel  preserved  the  Union.     At  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel  a  number  of  prom- 
inent business  men  of  the  city  met  and  decided  that  a  public  reception 
and  banquet  to  the  great  soldier  would  be  a  fitting  way  in  which  to 
demonstrate  New  York's  feeling  toward  him,  and  $100  was  subscribed 
by  each  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  gentlemen  to  defray  expenses. 

The  reception  was  held  at  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel  on  November 
20,  1865.  Unfortunately,  it  seems  to  have  been  poorly  managed, 
and  there  was  much  dissatisfaction  among  those  who  attended. 
The  guests  began  to  arrive  in  droves  early  in  the  evening,  and  soon 
the  halls,  corridors,  and  reception  rooms  of  the  hotel  were  jammed 
with  a  perspiring,  pushing,  jostling  crowd  numbering  some  twenty- 
five  hundred  persons.  Having  by  their  own  negligence  got  this  throng 
on  their  hands,  the  committee  in  charge  of  the  reception  added  to  the 
general  confusion  by  rushing  here  and  there  shouting  orders  which 
no  one  could  obey. 

One  of  the  hotel  parlors  was  used  as  a  reception  room  for  General 
Grant,  and  against  one  side  of  it  was  a  dais  with  chairs.  The  room 
was  undecorated  save  for  a  beautiful  floral  piece  furnished  by  Brower 
and  valued  at  $500,  composed  of  jasmines,  heliotropes,  forget-me-nots, 
camellias,  and  tuberoses  arranged  in  the  design  of  an  American  flag 
with  the  initials  U.  S.  G.  General  Grant  stood  in  front  of  the  flowers 
surrounded  by  the  committee,  with  Mrs.  Grant  and  other  ladies  to 
his  right,  and  on  his  left  Generals  Wool,  Cook,  and  Hooker,  Messrs. 
John  Van  Buren,  Ethan  Allen,  and  others. 

The  names  of  those  with  sufficient  courage  and  muscle  to  break 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


13 


through  the  throng  and  approach  the  General  were  announced  to  him 
by  a  little  man  who  got  most  of  them  wrong,  and  the  affair  took  on 
an  air  of  farce-comedy.  Prayers  were  offered  up  for  the  General  by 
some  religious  fanatics  as  they  passed  him,  and  the  verbal  offerings  of 
other  persons  were  grotesquely  amusing: — 


trom  d  print.  Harper's  Weekly. 

RECEPTION  TO  GENERAL  GRANT  AT  THE  FIFTH  AVENUE 

HOTEL. 


" '  I'm  so  glad  to  see  you,  General.  God  bless  and  preserve  you  many 
years!' 

'"General,  this  is  my  eldest  son,  William  Mason. — Willie,  tell 
General  Grant  the  little  prayer  you  say  for  him  every  night.'  (Willie 
attempts  to  do  so,  but  is  moved  on  suddenly  by  the  active  Committee- 
men.) 

"'I  had  a  brother  in  the  Twenty-ninth  Connecticut.  I  wonder  if 
you  knew  him.'" 


14  FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 

No  doubt  the  worthy  General  felt  immensely  relieved  when  the 
ordeal  was  over,  and  he  sat  down  to  a  banquet  in  his  honor. 
Dinner  to        "The  Master  of  Humor  and  Pathos,"  Charles  Dickens,  was  tendered 
Charles    sl  banquet  at  Delmonico's  on  April   i8,   1868,  by  some  two  hundred 
Dickens  at    members   of   the   American   press,   just   before   he   left   for   England. 
Delmonico  s   American   and   British  flags  adorned  the  walls  of  the  banquet  hall, 
which  bore  on  one  side  the  British   arms  flanked  by  "Old  Glory" 
and  the  red  cross  of  St.  George,  and  on  the  other  the  arms  of  the 
United  States  supported  in  the  same  way.     Beautiful  vases  of  many- 
colored  flowers  and  elaborate  pieces  of  confectionery  illustrative  of 
English  and  American  literature  covered  the  tables,   and  even  the 
bill  of  fare  had  a  literary  taste,  for  on  it  were  "consomme  a  la  Sevigne," 
"agneau  farci  a  la  Walter  Scott,"  "creme  d'asperges  a  la  Dumas," 
"cotelettes  a  la  Fenimore  Cooper,"  "les  petites  Zimballes  a  la  Dick- 
ens," and  like  succulent  dishes.     Covers  were  laid  for  a  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  guests.     Fine  music  was  given  by  a  band  in  an  adjoining 
room. 

The  company  assembled  about  five  o'clock,  but  Mr.  Dickens  had 
become  suddenly  indisposed  and  did  not  appear  until  after  six.  Hon. 
Horace  Greeley,  who  presided,  met  the  great  author  at  the  head  of 
the  stairway,  which  the  latter  climbed  slowly  and  painfully,  limping 
badly  and  leaning  on  a  cane,  as  he  was  suffering  from  the  gout. 

Led  into  the  parlor  by  Mr.  Greeley,  Mr.  Dickens  was  helped  to  a 
seat  between  Mr.  Greeley  and  Mr.  Henry  J.  Raymond.  Hungry 
after  their  hour's  wait,  the  party  fell  to  upon  the  "literary"  bill  of 
fare.  Then  Mr.  Greeley  rose  and  opened  the  speech-making.  He 
told  how,  years  before,  he  had  chosen  a  story  called  "Delicate  Inten- 
tions" from  the  old  London  Monthly,  by  a  then  unknown  author 
writing  under  the  pen-name  of  "Boz,"  to  print  in  the  very  first 
weekly  newspaper  he  published, — "Boz"  being  Dickens'  nom  de 
plume  and  the  story  now  being  entitled  "Mr.  Watkins  Tottle." 

Mr.  Dickens  then  answered  the  toast  in  his  honor. 
Dickens'  "Gentlemen,"  he  began,  "so  much  of  my  voice  has  lately  been 
Speech  heard  among  you,  that  I  might  have  been  content  with  troubling  you 
no  further  from  my  present  standpoint,  were  it  not  for  the  duty  with 
which  I  henceforth  charge  myself,  not  only  here  but  everywhere,  and 
upon  every  suitable  occasion,  whensoever  and  wheresoever,  to  ex- 
press my  high  and  grateful  sense  of  my  hospitable  reception  in 
America,  and  to  bear  my  honest  testimony  to  the  national  generosity 
and  magnanimity.  Also  to  declare  how  astounding  and  amazing 
have  been  the  changes  that  I  have  seen  around  me  upon  every  side." 

He  ascribed  his  early  success  to  his  hard  training  in  newspaper 
work,  and  declared  that  his  sons  would  be  witnesses  to  the  fact  that 
he  had  always  been  proud  of  the  ladder  by  which  he  had  climbed  to 
fame. 

"But  what  I  have  intended  and  what  I  have  resolved  on,"  he  con- 
tinued, "and  this  is  the  confidence  I  am  about  to  place  in  you,  is  on 
my  return  to  England,  in  my  own  English  journal,  manfully,  promptly. 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


15 


From  a  rare  photograph.  Collection  of  Charles  L.  Ritzmann. 

CHARLES   DICKENS  AT  THE  HEIGHT  OF  HIS  CAREER. 

and  plainly  in  my  own  person,  to  bear  for  the  behalf  of  my  country- 
men such  testimony  of  the  gigantic  changes  in  this  country  as  I  have 
hinted  at  here  to-night.  Also  to  record  that  wherever  I  have  been, 
in  the  smallest  place  equally  with  the  largest,  I  have  been  received 
with  unsurpassed  politeness,  delicacy,  sweet-temper,  hospitality,  and 
consideration.  .  .  .  This  testimony,  so  long  as  I  live,  and  so  long  as  my 
descendants  have  any  legal  right  in  my  books,  I  shall  cause  to  be  re- 
published, as  an  appendix  to  every  copy  of  those  two  books  of  mine 
in  which  I  have  referred  to  America.  And  this  I  will  do  and  cause 
to  be  done,  not  in  mere  love  and  thankfulness,  but  because  I  regard 
it  as  an  act  of  plain  justice  and  honor." 

These  words  were  greeted  with  enthusiastic  applause,  for  they  went 


i6  FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 

far  toward  removing  the  sting  left  in  many  of  those  present  by  Mr. 
Dickens'  previous  written  references  to  this  country.  He  continued: — 
Dickens  on  "  I  was  asked  in  this  city,  about  last  Christmas,  whether  an  American 
Americans  y^^^s  not  at  some  disadvantage  in  England  as  a  foreigner.  The  notion 
^^  of  an  American  being  regarded  in  England  as  a  foreigner  at  all — or 
wg  «^  gygj.  being  thought  of,  or  spoken  of,  in  that  character — was  so  un- 
common and  egregious  and  absurd  that  my  gravity  for  the  moment 
overpowered  me.  .  .  .  Points  of  difference  there  have  been — points 
of  difference  there  are — points  of  difference  possibly  there  will  be 
between  these  two  great  peoples;  but  broadcast  in  England  prevails 
the  one  great  sentiment  that  these  two  peoples  are  essentially  one — 
and  that  it  rests  with  them  jointly  to  uphold  the  great  Anglo-Saxon 
race.  ...  If  I  know  anything  of  my  countrymen  ...  I  say  the  English 
heart  is  stirred  by  the  flutter  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes  as  it  is  stirred 
by  no  other  flag  that  flies  besides  its  own.  ...  I  believe  that  from  the 
majority  of  the  honest  men  on  both  sides  there  cannot  be  absent  the 
conviction  that  it  would  be  better  for  this  globe  to  be  riven  by  an 
earthquake — fired  by  a  comet — over-run  by  a  sea-break — than  to 
present  the  spectacle  of  these  great  nations,  each  of  which  has  in  your 
way  or  in  ours  striven  so  hard  and  successfully  for  freedom,  ever  again 
being  arrayed  one  against  the  other." 

As  Mr.  Dickens  sat  down  amid  wild  applause,  the  band  struck 
up  "God  Save  the  Queen,"  and  in  an  instant  every  man  present  was 
on  his  feet  singing  lustily.  The  next  speaker  was  Henry  J.  Raymond, 
who  brilliantly  responded  to  the  toast,  "The  New  York  Press." 
Then  came  a  succession  of  toasts,  which,  with  their  respondents,  were 
as  follows: — 

"The  Weekly  Press,"  George  William  Curtis;  "The  Monthly 
Press,"  William  Henry  Hurlburt;  "The  Boston  Press,"  Charles  Eliot 
Norton;  "The  New  England  Press,"  Joseph  R.  Hawley;  "The 
Northern  Press,"  George  W.  Demers;  "The  Western  Press,"  Murat 
Halstead;  "The  Southern  Press,"  Edwin  de  Leon;  "The  South- 
western Press,"  T.  B.  Thorpe;  and  "The  Scientific  Press,"  E.  L. 
Youmans. 

The  festivities  continued  late  into  the  evening,  and  before  he  de- 
parted each  gentleman  present  shook  hands  with  Mr.  Dickens. 
Banquet  to       The  banquet  tendered  to  New  York's  distinguished  visitor.  Grand 
Grand  Duke  Duke   Alexis   Alexandrovitch    of   Russia,    by    the   New   York  Yacht 
Alexis  at  Club  at  Delmonico's  on  December  2,  1871,  was  a  most  magnificent 
Delmonico's  affair.     Some  seventy  were  present,  including  the  Grand  Duke  and 
his    suite,    Mr.    Catacazy,    the    Russian    Minister,    General    Gorloff, 
Admiral  Poisset,  Admiral  Rowan,  members  of  the  Russian  legation 
and  the  New  York  Yacht  Club,  and  Russian  naval  officers. 

Commodore  James  Gordon  Bennett,  Jr.,  of  the  club  received  the 
Grand  Duke  at  seven  o'clock  in  Delmonico's  parlors,  and  a  half-hour 
of  agreeable  conversation  ensued.  Then  the  party  filed  into  the 
banquet  hall,  led  by  Commodore  Bennett  with  the  Grand  Duke  on 
his  arm.     The  company  sat  down  to  the  strains  of  "The  Poet  and 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


17 


From  a  print.  Harper's  Weekly. 

PROCESSION   IN  HONOR  OF  GRAND   DUKE  ALEXIS   PASSING  THE  GRAND 

STAND. 

Peasant"  overture,  played  by  Julien's  Orchestra;  the  Grand  Duke 
on  Mr.  Bennett's  right  and  Minister  Catacazy  on  his  left,  the  club 
officers  at  the  same  table  with  the  ducal  party.  The  walls  of  the 
banquet  hall  were  ablaze  with  brilliant  decorations.  The  blue  St. 
Andrew's  Cross  of  Russia  blended  with  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  the 
American  and  Russian  coats-of-arms  hung  side  by  side,  and  on  all 
sides  flags,  streamers,  and  yacht  club  pennants  mingled  in  a  riot  of 
color.  The  ducal  party  were  in  handsome  naval  uniforms,  jewelled 
decorations  flashed  on  the  breasts  of  the  Grand  Duke  and  many 
of  his  officers,  and  the  club  officials  were  in  full  evening  dress.  In  a 
place  of  honor  on  the  table,  amid  a  galaxy  of  trophies  won  by  yachts 
of  the  club,  stood  the  "Queen's  Cup,"  won  by  the  America  in  1851. 
Rare  flowers  were  woven  upon  a  framework  in  a  beautiful  model  of 
a  yacht  under  full  sail,  and  among  the  confectioners'  triumphs  was 
a  representation  of  the  Grand  Duke  with  elaborate  Russian  and 
American  naval  insignia.  A  beautifully  engraved  monogram  of  the 
Grand  Duke  topped  the  menu  card,  and  on  its  border  were  naval 
emblems  and  yacht  club  pennants. 

Commodore  Bennett  opened  the  speech-making  with  a  tribute  to 
the  Grand  Duke's  father,  closing  with  a  toast  to  the  Czar.  To  this 
toast  General  Gorloff  responded,  while  Mr.  Bennett  answered  that  to 
the  President  of  the  United  States.     Then  the  President  of  the  New 


i8  FIFTH     AVENUE     EVENTS 

York  Yacht  Club  announced  that  the  Grand  Duke  had  been  admitted 
to  honorary  membership,  and  to  the  ensuing  toast  the  Grand  Duke 
responded: — 

"I  am  sure,  gentlemen,  that  it  would  be  but  ingratitude  on  my 
part  to  refrain  from  immediately  thanking  you  for  the  honor  you 
have  conferred  upon  me.  I  am  well  aware  what  a  magnificent  yacht 
club  yours  is.  I  know  that  it  is  the  finest  in  the  world,  and  am  fully 
conscious  it  could  not  be  surpassed  even  with  great  efforts  on  the 
part  of  other  countries.  I  am  a  man  of  the  sea  myself,  and  can 
appreciate  the  enthusiasm  with  which  you  enter  into  all  that  regards 
yachting.     Once  more  I  sincerely  thank  you." 

In  conclusion  the  Grand  Duke  spoke  of  his  gratitude  for  the  hospi- 
tality and  courtesy  shown  him  by  Americans  of  all  classes,  and  de- 
clared that  he  would  never  forget  their  kindness. 

Minister  Catacazy  personally  responded  to  a  toast  in  his  honor, 
and  Admiral  Rowan  proposed   "The  Army  and  Navy  of  Russia," 
which   was    answered    by   Admiral    Poisset.     Other   toasts    followed, 
and  not  until  midnight  did  the  company  break  up. 
Banquet  to       Prince  Henry  of  Prussia,  brother  of  Kaiser  Wilhelm,  and  admiral 
Prince  of  the  German  Navy,  came  to  New  York  on  February  23,  1902,  as  a 
Henry  of  special  envoy  from  the  German  Emperor  to  the  President  and  people 
Prussia  of  the  United  States. 
at  Waldorf-       Q^  the  evening  of  February  26  the  New  Yorker  Staats-Zeitung  gave 
Astoria  ^   grand   banquet   in   his   honor   at   the   Waldorf-Astoria,   which   was 
attended  by  more  than  twelve  hundred  editors  and  publishers,  states- 
men, financiers,  and  other  public  men.     The  great  ball  room  of  the 
hotel  looked  like  a  gorgeous  garden  with  luxuriant  bowers  of  roses, 
palms,  smilax,  lilies,  and  ferns;    hundreds  of  electric  lights  cast  soft 
beams  of  rosy  radiance  through  shades  of  pink  silk;  and  back  of  the 
dais    upon   which   stood    the   Prince's    table  were   crossed    two   great 
American  and  German  flags,  covering  half  the  side  of  the  wall,  with 
the  eagle  of  Prussia  standing  out  in  electric  light  bulbs  of  red,  white, 
blue,  and  yellow  from  bowers  of  smilax  and  lilies.     Nine  tables  ran 
the  length  of  the  room  and  were  nearly  smothered  in  red  roses,  and 
on  each  plate  lay  a  handsome  white  rose. 

When  Prince  Henry  arrived  he  was  escorted  through  a  lane  be- 
tween hundreds  of  cheering  guests  by  Herman  Ridder  and  Edward 
Uhl  to  his  seat  on  the  dais,  while  the  orchestra  played  "America." 
The  Prussian  eagle  on  the  wall  flashed  into  a  myriad  of  jewelled  points 
of  blazing  electric  light  as  the  Hohenzollern  sat  down  at  the  right  of 
Mr.  Ridder,  the  toastmaster.  Whitelaw  Reid  sat  beside  the  Prince, 
and  on  the  toastmaster's  left  was  Ambassador  von  Holleben.  Among 
others  at  the  Prince's  table  were  Bishop  Potter,  Assistant  Secretary 
Hill,  Mayor  Seth  Low,  Rear  Admiral  Evans,  General  von  Plessen, 
Admiral  von  Seckendorff,  Adjutant-General  Corbin,  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor Woodruff,  Consul-General  Buenz,  Senators  Lodge  and  Depew, 
Admiral  von  TIrpItz,  Edward  Uhl,  and  Admiral  Count  von 
Baudissin. 


FIFTH    AVENUE    EVENTS  19 

The  banqueters  moved  about  the  hall  between  the  courses,  greeting 
acquaintances,  while  the  orchestra  rendered  popular  airs.  "Die 
Wacht  am  Rhein"  was  cheered  loudly.  Mr.  Ridder  opened  the 
speech-making  with  toasts  to  President  Roosevelt,  Kaiser  Wilhelm, 
and  Editor  Reid  of  the  Tribune.  Mr.  Reid  spoke  and  was  followed 
by  Mr,  Ridder,  who  at  the  conclusion  of  his  remarks  toasted  Prince 
Henry  and  presented  him  to  the  banqueters.  As  the  Prince  rose  to 
speak  the  hall  rang  with  deafening  applause  and  the  orchestra  burst 
into  "For  He's  a  Jolly  Good  Fellow!'-'  The  Prince  read  his  speech 
slowly.     He  said: — 

"Mr.  Toastmaster  and  Gentlemen:  I  am  fully  aware  of  the  fact  Prince 
that  I  am  the  guest  and  in  the  presence  of  the  representatives  of  the  Henry  of 
press  of  the  United  States,  and  in  particular  the  guest  of  the  New  Prussia's 
Yorker  Staats-Zeitung,  both  of  which  I  wish  to  thank  for  the  kind  ^^^^^« 
invitation  and  reception  I  have  met  with  to-night.  .  .  .  Undoubtedly   m^  / j    / 
the  press  of  our  day  is  a  factor,  if  not  a  power,  which  may  not  be  jj^Q^iJ 
neglected,  and  which  I  should  like  to  compare  with  ever  so  many 
submarine  mines,  which  blow  up  in  many  cases  in  the  most  unexpected 
manner;    but  your  own  naval  history  teaches  us  not  to  mind  mines, 
should  they  ever  be  in  our  way.     The  language  used  on  the  memo- 
rable occasion  was  stronger  than  ever  I  would  venture  to  use  to-night. 
I   need   only   mention   the  name  of  Farragut.     Another  comparison 
might  be  more  to  your  taste,  gentlemen,  and  is,  in  fact,  more  com- 
plimentary;   it  is  one  which  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  used  before 
I  left.     He  said:    *You  will  meet  many  members  of  the  press,  and  I 
wish  you  therefore  to  keep  in  mind  that  the  press  men  in  the  United 
States  rank  almost  with  my  generals  in  command.' 

"It  will  interest  you,  I  know,  to  learn  something  about  the  nature 
of  my  mission  to  this  country.     The  facts  are  as  follows:  His  Majesty, 
the  Emperor,  has  minutely  studied  the  recent  and  rapid  development 
of  the  United  States,  and  His  Majesty  is  well  aware  of  the  fact  that 
yours  is  a  fast-moving  nation.     His  sending  me  to  this  country  may,    The 
therefore,  be  looked  upon  as  an  act  of  friendship  and  courtesy,  with  Kaiser's 
the  one  desire  of  promoting  most  friendly  relations  between  Germany  Message  to 
and  the  United  States.     Should  you  be  willing  to  grasp  a  proifered  -^'"^^^tca 
hand,  you  will   find  such  a   one  on  the   other  side   of  the  Atlantic 
Ocean." 

When  Prince  Henry  sat  down,  Melville  E.  Stone  read  a  cable  de- 
spatch to  the  Kaiser  giving  him  cordial  greetings  from  the  newspapers 
of  the  United  States,  and  amid  loud  applause  it  was  moved  to  send 
it.  Then  Ex-Postmaster-General  Charles  E.  Smith  described  how 
much  the  United  States  owed  Germany  for  her  inspiration  in  music, 
poetry,  art,  and  thought.  The  last  speaker  was  Editor  Charles  W. 
Knapp  of  the  St.  Louis  Republic.  He  declared  that  the  Kaiser  ranked 
high  as  a  preserver  of  international  peace  and  friendship,  notwith- 
standing his  rapid  building  up  of  the  German  navy.  At  quarter  of 
twelve  Prince  Henry  and  his  retinue  left  the  banquet  hall,  bowing 
repeatedly  to  prolonged  cheering. 


20 


FIFTH    AVENUE    EVENTS 


Dinner  to 

President 

Hayes  at 

Delmonico's 


Presidents 
Eliot  and 
Porter 
exchange 
''Compli- 
ments^'' 


A  notable  dinner  at  Delmonico's  was  the  annual  banquet  of  the  New 
England  Society  on  December  22,  1877,  at  which  President  Hayes 
was  the  guest  of  honor.  The  decorations  were  most  artistic.  Among 
those  present  were  President  Hayes;  Secretary  of  State  William  M. 
Evarts;  Presidents  Porter  of  Yale  and  Eliot  of  Harvard;  W.  W. 
Story,  the  artist;  Rev.  James  Freeman  Clarke  of  Boston;  General 
Horace  Porter;  Professor  O.  C.  Marsh  of  Yale,  President  of  the 
American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science;  ex-Governor 
Morgan;  Robert  L.  Stuart,  President  of  the  American  Museum  of 
Natural  History;  Governor  Horace  Fairbanks  of  Vermont;  Marshall 
Jewell;  Edward  L.  Pierce;  and  Dr.  Henry  W.  Bellows. 

Secretary  of  State  Evarts  was  the  first  speaker.  He  answered  the 
toast,  "The  Day  We  Celebrate,"  speaking  at  first  with  a  droll  humor, 
which  roused  the  company  to  merriment,  and  then  concluding  in  a 
more  serious  vein,  praising  New  England  and  emphasizing  as  the  three 
most  important  questions  confronting  the  nation — the  public  peace, 
the  public  faith,  and  the  public  service.  President  Hayes  spoke  very 
briefly,  merely  thanking  his  hosts  for  the  reception  tendered  him  and 
saying  that  he  would  not  touch  upon  national  questions,  as  it  was 
contrary  to  the  rule  upon  such  occasions. 

Rev.  James  Freeman  Clarke  made  a  long  address,  lauding  Boston 
and  emphasizing  the  fact  that  the  ancestors  of  those  present  had  not 
been  influenced  even  by  hard  times  to  settle  their  debts  at  the  rate  of 
ninety  cents  on  the  dollar.  Toasts  to  Yale  and  Harvard  were  answered 
by  Presidents  Porter  and  Eliot.  Both  good-naturedly  "knocked" 
the  other's  institution  and  showed  the  contrast  between  them,  but 
agreed  that  passing  years  were  making  the  two  universities  more  and 
more  alike.  President  Eliot  declared  that  if  the  national  university 
suggested  by  President  Hayes  was  to  be  controlled  by  a  Congress 
"which  knew  little  Latin  and  less  Greek,  and  was  not  yet  convinced 
of  the  unchangeableness  of  the  laws  of  arithmetic,"  he  was  strongly 
opposed  to  it. 

President  Porter  cleverly  "  got  back"  at  Dr.  Eliot  for  his  "  knocks  "  at 
Yale,  saying  that  in  the  old  days  "when  they  found  a  man  in  Boston 
a  little  too  bad  to  live  with,  they  sent  him  to  Rhode  Island,  and  when 
they  found  him  a  little  too  good  to  live  with,  they  sent  him  to  Connecti- 
cut, where,  among  other  things,  he  founded  Yale  College;  while 
people  of  average  respectability  and  goodness  were  allowed  to  remain 
in  Massachusetts  Bay,  where,  looking  into  each  other's  faces  constantly, 
they  contracted  the  habit  of  always  praising  each  other  with  special 
emphasis — a  habit  which  they  have  not  altogether  outgrown." 

"The  Church"  was  responded  to  by  Mr.  W.  W.  Story.  He  made 
no  reference  to  the  church,  but  declared  that  Salem,  not  Boston, 
should  have  the  most  honor  among  the  Massachusetts  cities,  for  she 
had  produced  a  Hawthorne,  a  Story,  and  a  Rogers  to  grace  the  fields 
of  literature,  jurisprudence,  and  sculpture.  He  also  spoke  of  America's 
rapid  advance  in  the  arts,  begun  in  recent  years.  America's  progress 
in  science  was  described  by  Professor  O.  C.  Marsh,  and  then,  for  a 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 21^ 

change,  General  Horace  Porter  with  his  delightful  humor  convulsed 
the  company  with  side-splitting  mirth. 

The   reception   to   General   Grant   at   the  Union   League   Club   on   Gra^it 
October  23,   1880,  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  social  affairs  in  the   Reception 
club's  history.     The  club-house  was  filled  to  overflowing,  and  many  ^^  Union 
famous   men  were   present,  among   them   Messrs.  Joseph  H.  Choate,   League  Club 
William  Dowd,  Peter  Cooper,  Chauncey  M.  Depew,  General  Chester 

A.  Arthur,  General  Adam  Badeau,  General  Horace  Porter,  Colonel 
Fred  Grant,  Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Newman. 

The  reception  took  place  in  the  theatre  of  the  club-house.  General 
Grant  entered  with  Mr.  Choate,  followed  by  Generals  Badeau  and 
Arthur,  and  Colonel  Grant,  through  a  door  covered  with  flags.  The 
party  passed  quickly  through  the  crowd  to  the  anteroom,  where 
President  Fish,  General  Grant's  former  Secretary  of  State,  was  wait- 
ing. The  two  shook  hands  warmly,  and  President  Fish  said,  "General, 
allow  me  to  welcome  you  to  the  club."  At  once  there  was  a  general 
handshaking  and  buzz  of  congratulations  and  greetings.  There 
was  no  formal  address  of  welcome;  everything  was  delightfully 
informal. 

A  feature  of  the  evening  was  the  entrance  of  the  aged  Thurlow 
Weed,  famous  Abolitionist  and  Republican  statesman.  Two  club 
members  supported  the  tall,  bowed  figure  of  the  octogenarian,  and 
his  appearance  was  the  signal  for  a  deafening  ovation,  which  did  not 
die  away  until  he  had  been  introduced  to  General  Grant.  Another 
Grand  Old  Man  present  who  received  a  hearty  reception  was  Samuel 

B.  Ruggles.     Following  the  reception,  supper  was  served. 

The  Saturday  Night  Club  gave  a  dinner  to  General  Grant  and  Grant- 
Roscoe  Conkling,  May  5,   1883,   at  the  Hotel  Brunswick,  which  is  Conkling 
peculiarly  interesting  to  Americans  to-day  because  of  the  remarks  Dinner  at 
concerning  Mexico  made  by  the  Ex-President  and  Mr.  Conkling.  the  Hotel 

Besides  General  Grant  and  Mr.  Conkling,  the  guests  were  Senator  Brunswick 
J.  N.  Camden,  Charles  A.  Sumner,  Professor  Doremus,  Henry  Have- 
meyer,  Carl  Formes,  Charles  F.  March,  James  S.  T.  Stranahan, 
H.  F.  Dimock,  Howard  Carroll,  Judge  Edgar  M.  Cullen,  and  Douglas 
Taylor.  Mr.  Clark  Bell  presided.  Mr.  Formes  sang  two  baritone 
solos  after  the  repast  was  finished,  one  of  them  being  in  Grant's  honor 
and  entitled  "The  Warrior's  Song,"  and  then  Mr.  Bell  offered  a 
toast  to  the  distinguished  guest.     General  Grant  said  in  part: — 

"I  have  been  conversing  to-night  on  the  cultivation  of  friendly 
relations  with  our  neighbors.  I  have  thought  of  our  treatment  of  a 
neighbor  capable  of  an  amazing  power  of  development  and  possessed 
of  great  resources — Mexico.  I  trust  that  this  nation  will  take  this 
neighbor  under  its  wing  and  cultivate  the  closest  relations 
with  it,  and  make  its  people  believe  that  we  are  its  best  friends.  It 
is  our  interest  to  do  so;  for,  taking  this  continent  as  far  south  as  our 
neighbor's  lines  extend,  we  have  every  element  of  prosperity  above 
the  soil  or  dug  out  of  it.  If  we  are  friends,  we  shall  be  so  strong 
that  if  in  future  a  war  should  arise  we  could  shut  ourselves  in  our 


From  a  photograph.  Courtesy  of  McClure's  Magazine. 

GENERAL   GRANT  AS   HE   APPEARED   AT  THE   CLOSE   OF   THE 

CIVU.  WAR. 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


23 


shell  and  be  self-sustaining  long  enough  for  the  people  outside  to  learn 
to  do  without  us  and  we  without  them." 

Mr.  Conkling  spoke  next.  He  declared  that  it  was  right  and  proper 
that  close  intimacy  should  exist  between  the  United  States  and 
Mexico,  and  that  the  commercial,  political,  and  social  interests  of  the 
two  countries  ought  to  be  made  one.  He  suggested  that  General 
Grant  might  become  the  leader  of  a  great  movement  to  aid  Mexico 
in  developing  its  resources  and  in  forming  a  commercial  union  with 
the  United  States,  and  said  that  it  would  be  a  greater  honor  than  any 
that  the  General  had  yet  gained  if  he  should  be  the  means  of  bringing 
about  a  Mexican-American  alliance.  Among  the  other  speakers  were 
Courtlandt  Palmer,  Professor  Doremus,  and  Messrs.  Carroll  and 
Stranahan. 

A  most  brilliant  social  affair  was  the  reception  to  President  Arthur 
given  by  the  Union  League  Club  on  January  23,  1884.  Nearly  two 
thousand  guests  were  present,  two  orchestras  furnished  by  Bernstein 
rendered  splendid  music,  and  the  luxurious  club-house  looked  like 
a  wonderful  garden  with  its  banks  of  ferns,  tropical  plants,  lilies, 
tulips,  roses,  primroses,  and  azaleas,  while  banners,  streamers,  and 
national  and  state  flags  were  draped  and  festooned  upon  the  walls. 

President  Arthur  arrived  soon  after  nine  o'clock.  With  him  were 
Secretaries  Teller  and  Folger  of  his  cabinet  and  others.  The  orchestra 
struck  up  "Hail  to  the  Chief"  as  the  presidential  party  entered  the 
building.  Mr.  Arthur  shook  hands  with  the  reception  committee, 
and  then  was  escorted  upstairs  to  the  ball-room  by  President  William 
M.  Evarts  of  the  club.  The  President  stood  with  Messrs.  Jesse  Selig- 
man  and  Salem  H.  Wales  on  his  right,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Evarts, 
Secretaries  Teller  and  Folger,  and  Attorney-General  and  Mrs. 
Brewster  on  his  left,  and  for  an  hour  shook  hands  with  the  stream  of 
people  that  filed  past  him,  his  never-failing  courtesy,  affability,  and 
dignity  making  a  most  favorable  impression. 

It  was  a  remarkable  gathering  of  distinguished  men  from  business, 
professional,  political,  judicial,  religious,  military,  and  social  life, 
including,  among  a  host  of  others.  Dr.  Lyman  Abbott,  Mayor  Edson, 
General  and  Mrs.  George  B.  McClellan,  Whitelaw  Reid,  Henry  Ward 
Beecher,  Parke  Godwin,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Bigelow,  Cyrus  W.  Field, 
Lionel  Sackville  West,  the  British  Minister,  Elihu  Root,  and  Reginald 
H.  Newton.  The  crowd  was  so  great  that  it  was  almost  impossible 
to  move  in  some  parts  of  the  building,  and  outside  on  Fifth  Avenue 
a  solid  line  of  carriages  stretched  for  five  blocks. 

Supper  was  served  at  midnight,  and  not  until  then  was  there  much 
chance  to  dance.  One  of  the  features  of  the  reception  was  the  unique 
confectionery  pieces.  On  a  great  table  in  the  main  dining  room  were 
twelve  baskets  of  rare  flowers,  two  seals  of  the  United  States,  and  four 
fortresses  garrisoned  by  soldiers,  made  of  confectionery.  A  tall 
monument  supported  statuettes  of  the  President  and  his  cabinet,  and 
in  gleaming  white  sugar  stood  a  beautiful  model  of  the  Capitol.  An 
interesting  work  of  art  was  a  twenty-four-foot  model  of  the  Brooklyn 


Reception  to 

President 

Arthur  at 

Union 

League 

Club 


Dis- 
tinguished 
Men 
present 


24  FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 

Bridge,  with  the  President  and  troops  crossing  as  on  the  opening 
day.  The  ices,  game,  and  other  dishes  were  also  arranged  in 
artistic  designs.  Many  people  found  their  chief  enjoyment  in  the 
art  gallery,  which  was  filled  with  choice  paintings  loaned  for  the 
occasion.  The  gorgeous  dresses  of  the  women,  gleaming  white  stat- 
uary, beautiful  masses  of  flowers,  shining  bronze  and  marble,  rich 
paintings,  bright  uniforms,  carved  woods,  and  mosaic  panels,  all 
combined  to  make  a  dazzling  spectacle  impossible  to  forget. 

The  banquet  to  Lieutenant  A.  W.  Greely,  explorer  of  the  Arctic, 
tendered  by  the  Lotos  Club  on  January  i6,  1886,  drew  together  a 
hundred  and  fifty  gentlemen. 
Dinner  to        Vice-President  General  Horace  Porter  presided.  President  Whitelaw 
Lieutenant    Reid   being  unavoidably  absent.     Besides   Lieutenant  Greely,   Chief 
Greely    Engineer  Melville  and  Commander  Schley,  who  headed  the  expedition 
to  relieve  Greely,  were  guests  of  the  club,  and  among  the  merry  party 
were    Colonel    C.    McK.    Leoser;  Robert  Kirby;   Dr.   Pardee;   Chief 
Justice  C.  P.  Daly;  Patrick  Sarsfield  Gilmore;  Frank  Robinson;  Colo- 
nel Thomas  W.  Knot;  James  Bates;   C.  H.  Webb;  George  Masset; 
James  Heston;    Henry  Gilsey,  the  philanthropist;    Herman  Oelrichs; 
Douglas  Taylor;   Chandos  Fulton;   E.  H.  Scott;   and  J.  O'Sullivan. 

At  seven  o'clock  the  dinner  began,  amid  a  buzz  of  talk  and  laughter 
and  hearty  praise  for  the  bravery  and  unflinching  perseverance  of 
Greely  and  his  men.  Finally  the  cigars  were  passed  around  and 
General  Porter  presented  the  guest  of  honor.  Lieutenant  Greely 
rose  amid  wild  cheering.  At  the  heartiness  of  the  reception  his  serious 
face  broke  into  smiles,  and  he  stood  kindly  smiling  through  his  spec- 
tacles until  the  applause  died  away.  Then  simply  and  frankly,  with 
at  times  a  pathos  that  moved  his  hearers,  he  told  the  story  of  his 
expedition  to  the  Far  North  and  explained  the  reasons  for  every 
Greely  action.  He  declared  that  he  regarded  Arctic  exploration  as  a  success 
tells  his  when  eleven  nations  combined  to  offer  the  lives  of  their  men  for  the 
Story  cause  of  science.  Only  $25,000  was  available  for  the  expenses  of  the 
expedition;  not  enough,  he  said,  but  with  true  American  willingness 
to  make  the  best  of  unfavorable  conditions  they  set  out  to  make 
their  work  a  success.  He  spoke  of  England's  mighty  navy,  and, 
while  the  rapt  audience  applauded,  declared  that  the  American  navy 
probably  equalled  that  of  England  in  men  and  officers  if  not  in  number 
of  ships.  He  described  the  sufferings  of  his  men  with  touching  ten- 
derness, lauded  their  noble  spirit  under  adversity,  and  graphically 
told  the  harrowing  story  of  the  dreary  months  passed  at  Cape  Sabine. 
In  conclusion  he  declared,  while  the  company  rose  and  wildly  cheered 
him,  that  in  the  African  forests,  the  Lena  Delta,  and  at  Cape  Sabine 
Americans  had  proved  themselves  the  peers  of  any  nation  on  the  globe. 

When  he  sat  down  Frank  Robinson  led  the  enthusiastic  company 
in  "For  He's  a  Jolly  Good  Fellow,"  while  Patrick  Gilmore  merrily 
beat  an  accompaniment  with  spoon  and  plate.  Then  came  Justice 
Daly  with  an  interesting  speech,  followed  by  Commander  Schley  and 
other  speakers.     Later  two   master  fun-makers   were   added   to  the 


From  a  photograph. 


Collection  of  Charles  L.  Ritzmatin. 


HENRY  M.  STANLEY. 


26 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


Banquet  to 

Henry  M. 

Stanley 


Remi- 
niscences 
of  Stanley 


party  In  the  persons  of  Messrs.  Thorne  and  BlUington,  "Poo-bah'* 
and  "Ko-Ko"  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  "Mikado"  company.  At  a  late 
hour  the  guests  departed,  having  had  a  jovial  as  well  as  an  instructive 
evening. 

Henry  M.  Stanley,  the  famous  African  explorer,  was  tendered  a 
reception  November  27,  1886,  at  the  Lotus  Club  on  Fifth  Avenue. 
Whitelaw  Reid  presided.  It  was  a  night  of  rejoicing  and  good-fellow- 
ship, for  it  was  on  that  day  that  Stanley  had  returned  to  New  York, 
after  over  a  dozen  years'  absence,  fresh  from  completing  Livingstone's 
explorations  in  Central  Africa. 

The  explorer  sat  at  Mr.  Reid's  right  hand,  with  Chauncey  M. 
Depew  upon  his  right.  At  the  left  of  Mr.  Reid  were  Horace  Porter, 
Lieutenant  Greely,  and  Algernon  S.  Sullivan.  Some  of  the  others 
present  were  General  E.  F.  Winslow,  Henry  Gillig,  Colonel  Thomas  W. 
Knox,  Excise  Commissioner  W.  S.  Andrews,  James  M.  Francis, 
Justice  Gedney,  Abraham  Kling,  Lieutenant  Hickey,  George  Fawcett 
Rowe,  Colonel  Richard  Lathers,  Bruce  Crane,  Major  Pond,  General 
Alfred  Townsend,  and  Daniel  E.  Bandmann. 

President  Reid  introduced  Stanley  in  a  warmly  congratulatory 
speech,  and  when  the  explorer  rose  to  thank  the  club  for  the  honor 
shown  him  he  was  most  heartily  applauded.  For  over  half  an  hour 
he  held  the  rapt  attention  of  the  company  with  an  account  of  the 
work  being  done  by  King  Leopold's  government  in  the  Congo,  and 
told  of  the  vast  expanse  of  African  territory  waiting  to  be  opened  to 
civilization  and  to  the  world's  trade.  He  spoke  in  a  fluent,  easy,  and 
most  graphic  manner,  and  the  club  members  and  guests  who  packed 
the  rooms  and  corridors  listened  enthralled  by  his  glowing  descriptions 
of  the  mysterious  Dark  Continent.  He  sat  down  amid  an  enthu- 
siastic outburst  of  applause,  and  Lieutenant  Greely,  the  explorer  of 
the  frozen  North,  rising,  declared  that  Stanley's  achievements  con- 
stituted an  epoch  in  African  history,  that  his  devotion  would  be  the 
means  of  lifting  the  Dark  Continent  into  the  light  of  civilization  and 
Christianity,  and  that  future  generations  would  more  fully  realize 
the  greatness  of  his  work  than  the  present  age  could  do.  Greely 
suggested  that  Stanley  should  be  honored  in  the  Roman  way  with 
the  name  of  "Stanley  Africanus,"  and  the  proposal  was  heartily 
acclaimed. 

Chauncey  M.  Depew  then  said: — 

"There  have  been  great  explorers,  but  Stanley  is  the  first  to  mingle 
frontier  romance  with  history  and  solid  achievements.  I  welcome 
Stanley.  He  has  shown  what  a  reporter  can  do.  We  all  know  how 
they  are  the  last  to  leave  battlefields  and  scenes  of  pestilence,  and  the 
first  to  give  us  the  news.  Stanley's  career  typifies  the  great  principle 
in  this  country  that  creates  greatness  out  of  nothing." 

Horace  Porter  was  the  next  speaker,  others  followed,  and  until  late 
into  the  night  the  party  paid  warm  tribute  to  the  foremost  of  African 
explorers. 

One  of  the  most  brilliant  banquets  ever  held  at  Delmonico's  was 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


27 


that  given  on  December  20,  1889,  by  the  Spanish-American  Commer-  Pan- 
cial  Union  to  the  visiting  delegates  to  the  Pan-American  Congress.  American 
Mayor  Hugh  J.  Grant,  Andrew  Carnegie,  Elihu  Root,  Horace  White,  Banquet  at 
and   Chauncey  M.   Depew,  were  some  of  the  prominent  Americans  Delmomco  s 
present,    a    Hungarian    orchestra    rendered     fine    music,    rich    wines 
flowed  in  abundance,  and  the  hall  was  most  beautifully  decorated. 
South  American  relations  and  international  arbitration  as  a  preven- 


From  a  print.  Harper's  Weekly. 

RECEPTION  TO  PAN-AMERICAN  CONGRESS 
AT  THE  UNION  LEAGUE  CLUB. 

tion  of  war  were  touched  upon  in  a  brilliant  address  by  William  M. 
Ivins. 

Portraits  of  George  Washington  and  Bolivar,  the  hero-patriot  of 
South  America,  hung  upon  the  walls,  from  the  gallery  hung  the  flag 
of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  around  the  hall  were  dis- 
played in  a  bewildering  galaxy  of  vivid  colors  the  picturesque  banners 
of  the   Spanish-American   nations,   interspersed   with   the   Stars   and 


28  FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 

Stripes.  From  the  ceiling  hung  a  six-foot  globe  bearing  on  a  field 
of  evergreen  the  American  continents  outlined  in  a  design  of  flowers, 
and  silk  streamers  stretched  from  it  away  to  all  corners  of  the  hall, 
which  were  filled  with  palms,  ferns,  and  plants.  The  menu  was 
a  beautiful  work  of  art,  with  a  cover  of  tinted  silk,  exquisite  de- 
signs in  water  colors,  and  the  coats-of-arms  of  the  American  re- 
publics. 

Mr.  William  H.  T.  Hughes  was  chairman,  his  perfect  mastery  of 
both  English  and  Spanish  making  the  selection  ideal.  Senor  F.  C.  C. 
Zegarra  of  Peru  sat  at  his  right  and  Mayor  Grant  at  his  left.  Rev. 
Dr.  Charles  H.  Hall  said  grace.  A  charming  incident  occurred  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  meal.  Bearing  armfuls  of  flowers,  the  dark-eyed 
womenfolk  of  the  delegates  poured  on  to  the  orchestra  platform  and 
merrily  cast  showers  of  beautiful  blossoms  down  on  the  heads  of  the 
banqueters.  A  lively  scene  ensued.  Cheer  after  cheer  rang  out 
from  the  delighted  men,  who  caught  up  handfuls  of  roses  from  the 
tables  and  tossed  them  up  to  the  gallery,  while  laughter  and  applause 
echoed  through  the  hall. 

The  address  of  welcome  was  delivered  by  Mr.  Hughes,  who  spoke 
first  in  English  and  then  in  Spanish.  Senor  Zegarra  answered.  Mr. 
Hughes,  in  toasting  Mayor  Grant,  presented  him  with  a  gold  badge 
as  a  token  of  the  visitors'  gratification  at  his  courtesy,  and  the  Mayor, 
in  replying,  dwelt  on  the  cosmopolitanism  of  New  York  and  other 
large  cities.  The  toast,  "Our  Next  Neighbor,"  was  responded  to 
by  Senor  Matias  Romero  of  Mexico.  Other  toasts  and  their  respond- 
ents were: — 

''International  American  Commerce,"  William  M.  Ivins;  "Inter- 
national Justice,"   Elihu   Root;     "Our  Homes,"   Rev.   Dr.  John   R. 
Paxton;      "American — All     Republican,"      John       B.      Henderson. 
Chauncey  M.  Depew  spoke  from  the  gallery,  and  Judge  Jose  Alfonso 
of  Chili  made  an  address.     Pan-Americanism  was  the  keynote  of  the 
speeches.     Mr.  Henderson  urged  the  establishment  of  an  international 
court  to  settle  disputes  between  nations,  declaring  it  was  the  surest 
means  of  securing  universal  peace,  and  Mr.  Ivins  said: — 
William  M.       "We  must  forget  that  such  a  thing  as  war  is  possible.     Let  us 
Ivins  on  recognize  that  modern  society  exists  on  industrial  bases,  on  the  com- 
Pan-  mon  brotherhood,  and  not  the  common  enmity,  of  man.     As  we  have 
American  shown  the  world  a  successful  democracy,  let  us  teach  it  by  our  own 
Relations  example  that,  as  between  American  states,  war  for  the  future  is  abol- 
ished.    Let  us,  as  the  active  initiators,  organize  our  half  of  the  world, 
so  far  as  international  relations  are  concerned,  in  such  a  way  that 
all  international  disputes  shall  be  submitted  to  arbitration,  just  as 
in  each  of  our  countries  disputes  between  individuals  are  submitted 
to  the  courts." 

Three  days  before,  the  delegates  had  been  tendered  a  reception 
at  the  Union  League  Club  which  was  attended  by  many  distinguished 
statesmen,  representatives  of  the  army  and  navy,  clergymen,  profes- 
sional and  business  men.     Among   those   present  were   Elihu   Root, 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


29 


Chauncey  M.  Depew,  General  William  T.  Sherman,  Theodore  Roose- 
velt, Andrew  Carnegie,  William  M.  Evarts,  James  G.  Blaine,  Joseph  H. 
Choate,  Benjamin  F.  Tracy,  Hugh  J.  Grant,  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  and 
Horace  Porter.  The  reception  was  held  in  the  theatre-hall  of  the 
Club  House,  which  was  magnificently  decorated.  Dancing  followed, 
and  supper  was  served  at  eleven  o'clock.  The  whole  aifair  was 
carried  out  on  a  most  brilliant  scale  and  was  greatly  enjoyed  by  all 
present. 

General  William  Tecumseh  Sherman  was  tendered  a  memorable 
reception  at  the  Union  League  Club  on  April  17,  1890.  The  old 
soldier  was  seventy  years  old  on  the  8th  of  February  preceding,  and 
the  club  had  wished  to  give  him  a  birthday  party  then,  but  his  other 
engagements  prevented. 

The  club-house  was  beautifully  decorated.  American  flags  be- 
decked the  entrance  lobby  and  main  stairway;  everywhere  were  stream- 
ers, banners,  and  festoons  of  bunting;  before  the  library  windows 
were  banks  of  flowers,  and  ferns  and  geraniums  covered  the  mantel. 
Red,  white,  and  blue  flowers  were  banked  before  the  stage,  which 
was  draped  with  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  A  portrait  of  General  Sherman 
in  uniform,  painted  by  Daniel  Huntington  in  1875,  occupied  a  place 
of  honor,  draped  with  flags  and  a  victor's  wreath.  A  body  of  regulars 
of  the  Fifth  United  States  Artillery  lined  the  stairway  leading  from 
the  lobby  to  the  reception  hall,  every  man  in  parade  uniform  and  with 
fixed  bayonet. 

General  Sherman  arrived  promptly  at  half-past  eight.  Messrs. 
James  Otis  and  J.  Seaver  Page  and  General  S.  Van  Vliet  met  him  in 
the  lobby  and  after  a  cordial  greeting  escorted  him  up  the  stairway, 
while  the  regulars  came  to  present  arms  with  a  rattle  and  clash  that 
made  the  old  hero  start.  He  was  conducted  to  a  place  beneath  his 
own  picture  and  there,  surrounded  by  President  Chauncey  M.  Depew 
of  the  clut.  Secretary  of  the  Interior  John  W.  Noble,  and  General 
Van  Vliet,  greeted  for  over  two  hours  an  almost  interminable  line  of 
admirers  and  friends.  About  seven  hundred  invitations  had  been 
issued.  A  noteworthy  assemblage  it  was,  the  army,  navy,  clergy, 
bench,  business,  professional,  and  political  life  all  being  represented. 
Among  the  guests  were  Vice-President  Levi  P.  Morton,  Secretary  of 
the  Interior  John  W.  Noble,  Senators  William  M.  Evarts  and  Nelson 
W.  Aldrich,  Generals  John  M.  Schofield,  A.  W.  Greely,  O.  O.  Howard, 
J.  C.  Breckenridge,  Horace  Porter,  Forsyth,  Grosvenor,  and  Nelson 
A.  Miles,  and  foreign  diplomats  from  Russia,  Chili,  Brazil,  and 
Peru. 

The  reception  over,  the  weary  old  General  sat  down  to  supper  at 
a  table  with  President  Depew,  Secretary  Noble,  Senator  Evarts,  and 
Generals  Porter,  Van  Vliet,  Grosvenor,  and  Forsyth.  Speech-making 
on  such  occasions  was  contrary  to  the  custom  of  the  Union  League, 
but  such  a  storm  of  approval  burst  when  Rev.  John  R.  Paxton  rose 
and  begged  that  the  gathering  might  hear  the  old  hero,  that  President 
Depew  bowed  to  the  demand. 


Union 
League  Club 
Reception  to 
General 
Sherman 


Prominent 
Guests 


30 


FIFTH     AVENUE     EVENTS 


Mr.  Depew  in  his  introductory  remarks  lauded  General  Sherman's 
career  and  declared  that  the  club  was  delighted  to  do  him  honor. 
Speaking  of  the  March  to  the  Sea,  he  said:  "It  was  a  feat  which 
captured  the  imagination  of  the  country  and  of  the  world,  because  it 
was  both  the  poetry  of  war  and  the  supreme  fact  of  the  triumph  over 
the  Rebellion.  Sixty-five  and  Ninety — the  years  have  passed  by  with 
many  questions  coming  up  which  have  divided  the  men  who  stood 
together  at  that  period  and  who  are  to-day  politically  in  hostile  camps. 
But  the  guest  of  '65  finds  the  same  greeting,  no  matter  what  camps 
the  men  are  in  to-day,  that  he  did  then." 

A  deafening  roar  of  cheers  greeted  General  Sherman.  Clad  in 
full  uniform  and  wearing  his  sword,  the  old  commander  was  a  most 
imposing  and  martial  figure.  His,  speech  was  partly  humorous, 
partly  serious,  and  was  punctuated  with  laughter  and  applause. 
Gen.  "I  thank  you  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,"  he  began,  "for  this 
Sherman's  response  to  Mr.  Depew's  handsome  tribute  to  me.  Every  man  loves 
Speech  his  neighbor  nearly  as  well  as  himself.  Dr.  Paxton  well  knows  that 
it  won't  do  to  be  too  good  in  this  world,  for  the  millennium  would 
come  when  we  were  not  prepared  for  it.  .  .  .  The  first  way  to  reform 
the  community  is  to  reform  yourselves.  But  you  have  to  take  the 
world  as  it  is.  It  is  a  good  world.  It  is  the  best  we  have  now.  I 
don't  see  any  who  are  anxious  to  depart  from  it.  Of  those  who  are 
gone,  we  sing  their  praises  aloud.  They  don't  hear  them.  I  am  will- 
ing to  have  a  little  during  my  life.  .  .  .  Let  us  all  continue  doing  our 
own  work  in  our  own  spheres,  trusting  to  the  common  Master,  who 
will  reconcile  all  troubles  and  guide  us  on  to  the  future,  which  I  am 
sure  will  be  better  than  the  past.  Let  us  labor  to  make  the  people 
of  the  United  States  not  only  the  most  prosperous,  but  the  most 
contented  people  on  the  face  of  the  globe." 

When  the  old  General  finished,  Mr.  Depew  jumped  to  his  feet. 
"Gentlemen,"  he  called,  "may  we  give  him  a  reception  on  his  cen- 
tennial!"    And  enthusiastic  cheers  echoed  through  the  rooms. 

St.  Thomas's  Church  was  the  scene  of  a  notable  Easter  wedding  on 
April  6,  1896,  when  Ex-President  Benjamin  Harrison  was  wedded  to 
Mrs.  Mary  Scott  Lord  Dimmick.     A  wedding  as  private  and  simple 
as  possible  was  desired,  so  the  hour  of  the  ceremony  was  not  disclosed 
to  the  public;    but  in  some  way  the  news  leaked  out,  and  when  Mr. 
Harrison  reached  the  church  soon  after  five  o'clock  a  crowd  was  assem- 
bled on  Fifth  Avenue  outside  the  church,  requiring  a  hundred  police- 
men to  keep  the  curious  ones  at  a  respectable  distance. 
Harrison-       Only  thirty-six  persons,    including   two  newspaper   men,   were   ad- 
Dimmick  mitted  to  the  ceremony.     Admission  was  by  cards  written  and  signed 
Wedding  by  Mr.  Harrison's  secretary,  Mr.  E.  F.  Tibbott,  which  said  merely, 

"Admit    to    St.    Thomas'     Church,    Monday   afternoon, 

April  6."  Mrs.  Dimmick  was  a  niece  of  Mr.  Harrison's  first  wife. 
Mr.  Tibbott  and  General  Daniel  M.  Ramsdell  were  the  ushers  and 
received  the  guests  as  they  arrived. 

The  floral   decorations  were  centred   about  the   altar,   and,   while 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


31 


simple  and  unpretentious,  were  arranged  most  artistically  and  effect- 
ively. The  color  scheme  was  green  and  white,  Easter  lilies,  tropical 
plants,  wild  smilax,  palms,  and  Genista  trees,  making  a  beautiful 
ensemble.     Above  the  altar  was  a  Latin  cross  of  lilies. 

The  organist.  Professor  George  W.  Warren,  rendered  some  prelimi- 
nary music,  and  at  half-past  five  the  doors  were  opened  at  the  middle 
aisle  and  the  ushers  appeared  side  by  side.  Rev.  Dr.  J.  Wesley  Brown, 
the  rector,  came  from  the  vestry  garbed  in  a  white  cassock,  entered 


From  a  print.  Harper's  Weekly. 

MARRIAGE  OF  PRESIDENT  HARRISON  TO  MRS. 

DIMMICK  AT  ST.  THOMAS'S  CHURCH. 

the  sanctuary,  and  knelt  in  prayer  for  a  moment.  The  strains  of 
"Lohengrin"  pealed  forth  from  the  organ,  and  Mr.  Harrison  with 
Ex-Secretary  of  the  Navy  Benjamin  F.  Tracy,  his  best  man,  appeared 
in  the  vestry  door  at  the  left  of  the  altar. 

For  a  moment  there  was  a  slightly  awkward  pause  while  the  guests 
craned  their  necks  at  the  rear  door,  looking  for  the  bride.     Then  she 


32  FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 

appeared  behind  the  ushers,  escorted  by  Lieutenant  Parker,  U.  S.  N., 
her  brother-in-law.  Instead  of  a  bouquet  she  carried  a  prayer-book 
of  white  silk  with  a  gold  cross  embossed  on  its  cover.  Mr.  Harrison 
descended  the  chancel  steps  to  meet  her,  and  together  they  went  up 
the  stairs  and  knelt  at  the  centre  of  the  altar,  General  Tracy  and 
Lieutenant  Parker  following. 

Dr.  Brown  read  the  service  to  the  soft  music  of  the  intermezzo 
from  "Cavalleria  Rusticana"  and  pronounced  the  couple  man  and 
wife.  Lieutenant  Parker  giving  away  the  bride.  Mrs.  Dimmick  spoke 
in  clear  and  musical  tones,  but  Mr.  Harrison's  voice  could  hardly  be 
heard.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony  Dr.  Brown  shook  hands 
with  bride  and  groom  and  congratulated  them  heartily,  and  then  the 
couple  walked  down  the  centre  aisle  while  the  organist  played  the 
wedding  march  from  "Tannhauser."  Entering  a  waiting  carriage, 
they  were  driven  to  the  home  of  Mr.  Gifford  Pinchot  at  No.  2  Gramercy 
Park,  where  a  reception  was  held.  At  its  conclusion  the  bridal  couple 
left  for  Indianapolis. 
Li  Hung  Li  Hung  Chang,  the  famous  Chinese  statesman,  subtlest  of  diplo- 
Chang's  mats  and  shrewdest  of  ministers,  and  one  of  the  greatest  men  whom 
Visit  the  Orient  has  produced,  came  on  August  28,  1896,  to  New  York  as 
special  ambassador  from  the  Chinese  Emperor.  He  stopped  at  the 
Waldorf  Hotel  on  Fifth  Avenue. 

General  Thomas  H.  Ruger  was  sent  by  President  Cleveland  to 
welcome  the  great  Chinaman  to  America.  The  latter  received  the 
welcoming  delegation  in  his  cabin  on  board  the  steamship  St.  Louis 
in  New  York  Bay.  His  appearance  was  most  striking.  Over  six 
feet  tall,  with  a  slight  stoop,  he  wore  the  bright  yellow  jacket  denoting 
his  high  rank,  a  viceroy's  cap  with  a  four-eyed  peacock  feather  at- 
tached to  it  by  amber  fastenings,  and  a  beautifully  colored  skirt  of 
rich  material.  His  finger  nails  were  polished  till  they  shone,  a  huge 
diamond  flashed  on  his  right  hand,  and  he  peered  out  benignantly 
over  the  tops  of  a  pair  of  gold-bowed  spectacles.  Dignified  in  bearing, 
Li's  he  looked  every  inch  the  statesman  and  scholar.  His  gracious  manner 
Appearance  won  him  friends  during  his  stay  in  New  York,  and  his  indefatigable 
propensity  for  asking  questions — some  of  them  rather  embarrassing 
to  those  questioned,  as  when  he  politely  inquired  the  ages  of  the 
ladies  whom  he  met  and  the  salaries  of  the  officials  who  entertained 
him — aroused  much  merriment.  He  spoke  in  a  very  low  voice,  and 
while  at  times  appearing  to  notice  little,  no  doubt  with  true  Oriental 
inscrutability  took  in  everything  worth  noticing. 

The  city  gave  him  an  enthusiastic  reception.  Cheering  crowds 
lined  Fifth  Avenue  as  the  aged  Prime  Minister  with  his  numerous 
suite  was  driven  to  the  Waldorf  Hotel,  escorted  by  United  States  cav- 
alry as  a  guard  of  honor. 

The  Waldorf  was  handsomely  decorated,  and  over  it  fluttered  from 
a  lofty  pole  the  golden  imperial  banner  of  the  ancient  empire,  with  its 
great  blue  dragon  snapping  at  a  crimson  ball.  While  at  the  hotel  three 
Chinese  cooks  in  Li's  retinue  prepared  their  lord's  meals.      His  imme- 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


33 


Prom  a  photograph.  Collection  of  Charles  L.  Ritzmann. 

LI  HUNG  CHANG  AS  HE  APPEARED  WHEN  HE  VISITED  NEW  YORK. 

diate  suite  comprised  eighteen  Chinese  of  rank,  and  there  was  a  staff 
of  twenty-two  servants,  including  a  barber,  five  valets,  and  three 
cooks.  Many  of  the  visitors  were  tall,  burly  men,  splendid  speci- 
mens of  their  race,  and  very  little  escaped  their  keen,  restless  black 
eyes. 


34 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


Reception 

to  Li  at 

Ex-Secretary 

of  the  Navy 
Whitney's 


Li's 
Speech 


The  following  day,  August  29,  Li  was  received  by  President  Cleveland 
at  the  home  of  Hon.  W.  C.  Whitney,  Ex-Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Fifth 
Avenue  and  57th  Street.  The  reception  took  place  in  Mr.  Whitney's 
ballroom  and  lasted  less  than  half  an  hour.  The  President  stood 
beneath  a  cluster  of  Chinese  flags,  with  a  gilded  American  eagle  in 
the  centre,  and  with  him  were  the  Secretaries  of  State,  War,  and  the 
Treasury,  the  Attorney-General,  and  other  officials.  Mr.  Richard 
Olney,  Secretary  of  State,  presented  the  great  mandarin  to  President 
Cleveland,  and  Li  delivered  to  him  his  credentials  from  the  Emperor 
of  China.  A  brief  exchange  of  addresses  followed,  and  the  meeting 
ended. 

In  the  evening  a  banquet  was  given  in  Li's  honor  at  the  Waldorf, 
by  former  American  diplomats  in  China  and  others  who  had  lived 
there.  The  great  dragon  banner  and  the  Stars  and  Stripes  adorned 
the  dining  hall,  with  plants,  flowers,  and  streamers  of  many  colors. 
The  tables  ran  around  the  walls,  and  the  whole  centre  of  the  room 
was  like  a  blooming  garden  with  green  palms,  rhododendrons,  and 
golden-hued  ferns  banked  in  a  beautiful  mass  of  verdure.  Beside  each 
guest's  plate  lay  a  boutonniere  of  roses. 

Li  desired  to  retire  early,  so  the  banquet  began  at  six  o'clock.  Hon. 
George  F.  Seward,  ex-Minister  to  China,  presided,  sitting  opposite 
Li,  who  sat  between  John  E.  Ward,  also  ex-Minister  to  China,  and 
Rev.  W.  A.  P.  Martin,  President  of  Hamlin  University,  Peking.  The 
Chinese  Minister,  Yang  Yu,  and  General  Thomas  H.  Ruger  sat  on 
Mr.  Ward's  right,  while  on  Li's  left  were  General  Nelson  A.  Miles  and 
Hon.  John  W.  Foster,  ex-Secretary  of  State.  Li  ate  but  little  of  the 
sumptuous  spread,  and  when  he  had  finished  smoked  a  cigar  in  genuine 
Occidental  style.  Mr.  Ward  began  the  speech-making  with  toasts 
to  the  Emperor  of  China,  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  Li 
Hung  Chang.  He  was  followed  by  Mr.  Seward,  who  in  the  principal 
address  of  the  evening  lauded  Li's  long  and  distinguished  service  to 
his  country  and  his  many  achievements  as  a  statesman. 

Li's  interpreter  read  the  Prime  Minister's  answer,  which  was,  in 
part,  as  follows: — 

"Your  Excellencies  and  Gentlemen:  In  acknowledging  the  cordial 
welcome  and  kind  entertainment  offered  to  me  by  the  American 
government  and  its  citizens,  I  find  it  impossible  to  refrain  from  ex- 
pressing my  gratitude  and  thankfulness  to  the  great  nation  which 
represents  the  best  type  of  the  modern  civilization  of  the  Western 
world.  During  my  official  career  for  the  last  forty  years  in  China 
I  have  been  brought  in  constant  contact  with  the  most  accomplished 
scholars,  soldiers,  sailors,  statesmen,  theologians,  and  merchants  of 
the  West.  I  have  been,  therefore,  convinced  that  the  Western 
modern  civilization,  though,  superficially  speaking,  different  from 
our  own,  will  prove  in  the  world  of  evolution  as  the  fittest  to  sur- 
vive." 

Li  left  the  dining  hall  when  his  answer  was  completed,  about  half- 
past  eight,   and   soon   retired  for  his   night's   rest.     Rev.   Dr.   S.   L. 


FIFTH    AVENUE    EVENTS  35 

Baldwin,  Secretary  of  the  Methodist  Board  of  Missions,  and  Rev.  Dr. 
Martin  spoke,  and  were  followed  by  Ex-Secretary  of  State  Foster, 
who  told  how  as  Viceroy  and  Prime  Minister  Li  had  ever  been  the 
friend  of  the  United  States.  China's  friendly  relations  with  America 
were  dwelt  upon  by  Dr.  J.  B.  Angell,  and  Generals  Horace  Porter 
and  Miles  spoke. 

On  Sunday  afternoon,  August  30,  the  Prime  Minister  visited  the  Li  at 
tomb  of  his  old  friend,  Ex-President  Grant.  A  detail  of  mounted  Grant's 
police  acted  as  escort  and  Colonel  Grant,  Generals  Porter  and  Ruger  Tomh 
and  others  accompanied  him.  A  great  crowd  of  some  20,000  people 
gathered  about  the  tomb.  Li  stepped  from  his  carriage  into  his  chair 
of  state  and  was  carried  into  the  tomb  by  four  burly  policemen. 
There  was  a  sharp  ring  and  clash  of  steel  as  a  detachment  of  regulars 
presented  arms  as  the  great  man  was  borne  past,  and  at  the  head  of 
the  stairway  leading  to  the  tomb  Li  left  his  chair  and  with  slow  and 
stately  tread  entered  his  friend's  last  resting  place.  A  beautiful  gar- 
land of  bay  leaves  tied  with  a  broad  yellow  ribbon  and  dotted  with 
white  and  mauve  orchids  lay  on  the  sarcophagus.  It  was  the  gift  of 
Li.  He  stood  over  a  minute  with  head  sunk  upon  his  breast,  evi- 
dently filled  with  deep  emotion.  Then,  with  long  silences  between  his 
questions,  he  asked  how  the  tomb  was  guarded,  how  General  Grant 
died,  whether  his  end  was  painful,  and  inquired  into  the  details  of 
the  tomb's  construction,  even  asking  how  the  grounds  were  to  be 
graded  and  the  walks  laid  out.  He  showed  great  surprise  when  General 
Porter  told  him  that  80,000  persons  had  contributed  toward  building 
the  tomb. 

There  was  silence  for  some  moments,  and  then  Li  said  solemnly 
that  his  visit  to  the  hero's  tomb  was  one  of  the  chief  things  he  had 
had  in  mind  when  planning  his  visit  to  America,  and  that  he  had 
thought  of  it  continually  on  the  journey.  General  Porter  replied  that 
Li's  contribution  of  $500  toward  the  tomb,  one  of  the  first  received, 
had  won  him  the  deep  gratitude  of  the  American  people.  Another 
silence,  and  then  Li  turned  and  slowly  left  the  tomb.  The  iron  gate 
swung  to  behind  him,  but  on  the  platform  outside,  the  great  Oriental 
faced  about  and  halted.  A  deathly  hush  fell  upon  the  thousands 
gathered  around  the  tomb.  Every  head  was  uncovered  save  Li's. 
For  several  moments  his  tall,  gaunt,  impressive  figure  stood  motion- 
less, outlined  against  the  setting  sun.  Then  slowly,  reverently,  the 
venerable  statesman  bent  his  head  and  body  and  bowed  low  before 
the  tomb  till  the  peacock  feather  on  his  viceroy's  cap  nearly  swept 
the  ground.  Thus  did  the  Grand  Old  Man  of  China  say  farewell  to 
the  sleeping  victor  of  a  hundred  battles. 

Another  notable  incident  of  Li's  visit  was  his  reception  of  a  delega- 
tion of  thirty  representatives  of  American  missionary  societies.  He 
received  them  in  a  corner  room  of  the  Waldorf,  looking  out  on  Fifth 
Avenue,  seated  on  a  divan  smoking  a  silver  water-pipe,  with  Ex- 
Secretary  of  State  Foster  on  one  side  and  an  interpreter  on  the  other. 
Through  their  spokesman.  Rev.  Dr.  F.  F.  Ellenwood,  the  missionaries 


36 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


Li   thanked  Li  for  his  support  of  their  interests  in  China  and  congratu- 
commends    lated  him  upon  his  progressive  ideas.     He  replied  in  a  friendly  manner, 


the 
Mission- 


commending  the  work  of  the  missionaries,  whose  disinterested  motives 
he  said  he  fully  appreciated,  and  declaring  his  particular  gratification 
at  the  good  work  done  by  the  medical  colleges.  He  dignifiedly  de- 
fended his  adherence  to  the  faith  of  Confucius,  saying  that  Christianity 
and  Confucianism  had  much  in  common,  both  teaching  ideal  truths, 
the  golden  rule  being  expressed  in  both,  in  a  positive  form  in  one 
faith,  in  a  negative  in  the  other.  He  concluded  by  declaring  that 
the  great  curse  of  the  Chinese  people  was  the  use  of  and  trade  in 
opium. 

The  rest  of  the  day  Li  spent  in  visiting  various  places  of  interest 
in  the  city,  Chinatown  among  them.  September  2,  the  last  day  of  his 
visit,  he  spent  in  Brooklyn.  A  banquet  in  his  honor  was  given  at 
Delmonico's  in  the  evening,  but  so  tired  was  the  old  statesman  by 
the  whirl  of  functions  he  had  attended  that  he  did  not  go  to  the 
banquet,  but  sent  a  member  of  his  suite  to  represent  him. 


PARADES   AND   FUNERAL   PROCESSIONS    ON   FIFTH 

AVENUE 

An  aspect  of  Fifth  Avenue  which  the  nation  at  large  has  not  seen  is 
Fifth  Avenue  as  a  national  parade  ground.  One  of  the  greatest 
parades  was  the  Dewey  parade  in  1899,  when  the  hero  of  the  Spanish- 
American  War  was  tendered  a  brilliant  welcome,  and  viewed  from 
a  stand  that  faced  the  Worth  Monument  the  procession  in  his 
honor. 

Industry  and  patriotism  have,  also,  received  their  share  of  recog- 
nition in  the  impressive  processions  that  have  been  formed  as  an 
exemplification  of  what  united  organization  can  do.  Funeral  dirges 
and  solemn  corteges  have  cast  their  pall  many  times  over  Fifth 
Avenue.  Some  of  America's  greatest  men  have  been  borne  between 
silent  masses  down  the  famous  thoroughfare  to  their  last  resting- 
places.  Along  it  the  body  of  Abraham  Lincoln  passed  between  rows 
of  silent,  bareheaded  people,  and  was  escorted  to  the  Hudson  River 
depot,  whence  it  was  taken  to  Illinois.  The  remains  of  Admiral 
Farragut,  of  Horace  Greeley,  of  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  of  Chester  A. 
Dewey  Arthur,  and  of  General  Sherman  have  received  the  homage  of  a  people 
Parade  massed  on  Fifth  Avenue. 

The  parade  in  honor  of  Admiral  Dewey's  victory  at  Manila  moved 
down  Fifth  Avenue  from  59th  Street  on  September  30,  1899,  passed 
under  the  Dewey  Arch,  erected  in  the  Admiral's  honor  at  Worth 
Square,  and  on  to  Washington  Square. 

Major-General  Charles  F.  Roe  and  staff  led  the  procession,  followed 
by  Sousa's  Band  and  the  sailors  of  Dewey's  flagship,  the  Olympia. 
Then  came  Admiral  Dewey  himself,  seated  beside  Mayor  Van  Wyck 
in  a  carriage,  at  the  head  of  a  line  of  carriages  containing  Governor 
Theodore  Roosevelt,   Rear  Admirals   Schley   and   Sampson,   General 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


37 


Nelson  A.  Miles,  Senator  Chauncey  M.  Depew,  governors,  naval 
officers,  and  many  other  prominent  men. 

After  the  carriages  came  West  Point  Cadets,  detachments  of  United 
States  regulars.  New  York  national  guardsmen  and  naval  militia, 
troops  from  fourteen  other  states.  Union  and  Confederate  veterans, 
and  veterans  of  the  Spanish  War.  Admiral  Dewey  and  the  Olympia 
bluejackets  received  deafening  applause,  while  the  crowds  packing 
the  sides  of  the  Avenue  went  wild  over  Schley,  the  hero  of  Santiago 
Bay,  and  cheered  loudly  for  Governor  Roosevelt.  The  cheers  were 
silenced  for  a  moment  when  Admiral  Dewey  caught  sight  of  his 
relatives  in  a  stand  before  the  Waldorf-Astoria  and,  standing,  waved 
his  hat  to  them  while  they  stood  and  toasted  him  with  upraised 
glasses. 

At  34th  Street  the  Olympia  jackies  halted  and  drew  up  at  the  side 
of  the  Avenue  while  the  Admiral  left  his  carriage  with  a  party  of  dis- 
tinguished officers  and  entered  the  reviewing  stand  that  faced  the 
Worth  Monument.  For  four  hours  the  gray-haired  hero  stood 
watching  the  brilliant  procession  that  flowed  past  him,  Sampson  on 
his  right  and  Schley  on  his  left,  with  Generals  Miles  and  Merritt  and 
a  group  of  naval  officers,  including  Captains  Chadwick,  Coghlan, 
Woods,  Wildes,  Lamberton,  and  Dyer.  Dewey  was  very  punctilious 
in  acknowledging  the  salutes  given  him  and  in  saluting  the  flag,  and 
delayed  accepting  a  bouquet  from  a  girl  until  he  had  saluted  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  just  then  approaching  at  the  head  of  a  regiment. 
Roosevelt  reviewed  the  New  York  troops  and  then  hurried  back  to 
his  rooms  in  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel,  greeted  on  the  way  with  shouts 
of  "Here's  to  you,  Teddy!"  and  "Long  life  to  the  Rough  Rider!" 
The  "Fighting  Tenth"  Pennsylvania  Infantry,  fresh  from  the  Philip- 
pines, received  a  great  ovation. 

An  incident  commented  upon  at  the  time  was  the  high  price  paid 
for  positions  of  vantage.  Stands  were  built  at  many  places  along 
the  Avenue,  and  seats  sold  at  big  prices.  One  room  in  a  house  on 
the  Avenue  near  26th  Street  was  hired  for  the  afternoon  for  $500, 
and  ^300  was  paid  for  other  rooms  on  the  Avenue  having  only  one 
window.  Speculators  offered  the  owner  of  one  four-story  building 
on  the  Avenue  ^3,000  for  the  use  of  his  windows. 

The  Hudson-Fulton  Celebration  of  September  25-October  9,  1909, 
was  notable  for  its  beautiful  pageants  and  parades,  and  for  the  elab- 
orateness of  the  decorations  on  Fifth  Avenue  and  in  other  parts  of 
the  city. 

On  September  28  a  great  civic  procession  that  was  noteworthy  for 
the  number  and  beauty  of  its  floats,  depicting  a  great  variety  of  his- 
torical incidents,  moved  down  Fifth  Avenue  to  Washington  Square. 
The  huge  reviewing  stand  was  packed  with  nearly  five  thousand 
people,  and  from  it  Governor  Charles  E.  Hughes,  Vice-President 
Sherman,  Ex-Judge  Parker,  Rear  Admiral  le  Pord  of  the  French  Navy, 
Admiral  von  Koester  of  the  German  Navy,  Rear  Admiral  Schroeder 
of  the  American  Navy,  and  many  other  notables  reviewed  the  parade. 


Thunders 

of 

Applause 

greet 

Admiral 

Dewey 

and  the 

''Olympia' 

Sailors 


Hudson- 
Fulton 
Parade 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


39 


Ireland  held  the  place  of  honor  in  the  procession,  for  the  Ancient 
Order  of  Hibernians  and  other  Irish  societies  headed  the  long  column. 
Behind  them  marched  Italian  organizations  and  sturdy  Polanders, 
and  English,  Dutch,  Scandinavian,  French,  Scotch,  Bohemian,  Hun- 
garian, Syrian,  and  numberless  other  societies  of  many  nationalities 
were  mingled  with  the  hundreds  of  floats  in  a  bewildering  riot  of  color 
and  costume.  Tribe  after  tribe  of  painted  and  befeathered  warriors 
of  the  Order  of  Redmen  escorted  the  floats  depicting  Indian  scenes; 
"The  Storming  of  Stony  Point,"  "Washington  Taking  the  Oath  of 
Office,"  and  countless  other  scenes  comprising  a  veritable  panorama 
of  history  were  unfolded  by  men  and  women  of  many  races  before 
the  eager  eyes  of  the  vast  throng  lining  the  Avenue.  Loud  applause 
greeted  the  strangely  garbed  and  oddly  mounted  Syrians,  who  by 
some  queer  chance  followed  closely  behind  the  float  representing 
"The  Publishing  of  the  State  Constitution";  and  even  an  East  Indian 
Rajah  would  have  opened  his  eyes  at  the  gorgeous  costumes  of  the 
Hungarians,  who  "discovered  a  few  combinations  that  made  the  aurora 
borealis  look  like  a  Quaker  bonnet"! 

Mayor  McClellan,  marching  on  foot  with  Herman  Ridder,  was 
cheered  loudly  all  along  the  line.  The  division  of  school  children  was 
a  most  interesting  feature  of  the  parade.  Governor  Hughes  seemed 
to  be  very  popular  with  them,  and  as  they  passed  the  reviewing  stand 
they  gave  him  cheer  after  cheer  while  he  smilingly  bowed  his  thanks. 
The  sharp  bark  of  college  yells  winding  up  with  a  snap  of  "Hughes! — 
Sherman!"  rang  out  lustily  as  the  boys  from  Columbia,  New  York 
University,  and  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York  swung  with 
springy  tread  past  the  governor's  box.  All  the  time  that  the  parade 
was  passing  Mr.  Hughes  stood  hat  in  hand,  and  his  interest  and 
pleasure  were  very  evident  as  he  stared  eagerly  up  the  Avenue  to  see 
what  was  coming  next  and  enthusiastically  pointed  out  the  interesting 
floats  to  Vice-President  Sherman. 

One  of  the  most  picturesque  sights  that  Fifth  Avenue  has  witnessed 
was  the  parade  of  the  League  of  American  Wheelmen  on  May  28, 
1883.  About  nine  hundred  bicyclists  were  in  line,  representing  some 
forty-five  different  clubs  of  the  League,  and  an  interested  and  applaud- 
ing crowd  of  over  ten  thousand  persons  lined  the  Fifth  Avenue  side- 
walks four  and  five  deep  from  i6th  to  75th  Streets  to  see  the  procession 
start. 

Two  great  tents  were  pitched  on  57th  Street  to  shelter  the  hundreds 
of  machines  until  the  time  of  the  parade,  and  shortly  before  two 
o'clock  the  members  of  the  League,  having  taken  their  bicycles  from 
the  tents,  began  to  form  in  the  shade  on  the  Central  Park  side  of 
Fifth  Avenue,  the  head  of  the  line  resting  on  60th  Street  and  its  rear 
extending  nearly  to  80th  Street. 

Shortly  before  three  o'clock  a  bugle  call  rang  out,  and  President 
N.  M.  Beckwith  of  the  League  rode  slowly  along  the  line  with  his 
staff  from  front  to  rear.  Returning  to  the  head  of  the  column  at 
60th  Street,  he  gave  the  signal,  and  with  a  flourish  of  bugles  the  nine 


Nationali- 
ties and 
Floats 
in  the 
Parade 


Parade  of 
League  of 
American 
Wheelmen 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


41 


hundred  bicyclists  mounted  and  got  Into  motion.  Riding  two  abreast, 
they  pedalled  slowly  around  the  circle  In  Central  Park  at  59th  Street 
and  countermarched  up  the  Avenue,  while  the  Seventh  Regiment 
Band  struck  up  a  lively  march.  Six  mounted  policemen  led  the  way, 
then  came  President  Beckwith  and  his  staff,  followed  by  pair  after 
pair  of  uniformed  riders.  It  was  a  pretty  sight  as  the  long  line  moved 
noiselessly  up  Fifth  Avenue,  with  flags  and  streamers  fluttering  and 
the  bright  sun  flashing  upon  the  glittering  nickel  of  the  machines  and 
lighting  up  the  multi-colored  uniforms  of  the  riders  with  a  blaze  of 
vivid  color. 

The  New  York  Club  headed  the  procession,  every  man  dressed  In 
gray  with  a  splash  of  red  and  black  on  his  chest  and  cap.  The  Massa- 
chusetts delegation  followed,  with  the  Boston  Ramblers.  The  Bay 
State  men  looked  about  the  smartest  of  any  club  In  line,  In  their 
handsome  dark  blue  uniforms,  white  caps,  and  silver  buckles,  each 
cyclist  wearing  a  red-and-white  carnation  in  his  buttonhole.  Then 
came  the  New  Haven  Club  In  white  trousers;  Philadelphia  In  blue-black 
with  a  golden  line  in  the  cap;  Yonkers,  all  a-flutter  with  many-colored 
ribbons;  Buckeye  In  dark  green,  save  for  a  lonely  rider  in  gray  and 
white;  Albany  In  black  relieved  by  a  cherry  badge;  and  other 
clubs. 

After  East  Bridgewater  rode  a  solitary  cyclist  a-glltter  with  flashing 
badges,  and  following  him  the  green  and  gold  of  Springfield  appeared; 
then  the  Brunswickers  In  chocolate-brown  and  violet  and  primrose 
badges;  the  Ixion  Club,  with  bright  yellow  plumes  waving  in  the 
breeze;  and  Alpha  in  sage-green  livery  with  claret-hued  stockings. 
The  Penna  Club  was  distinguished  by  its  sky-blue  Insignia;  the  Capi- 
tal, by  Its  white  caps;  while  Buffalo  bore  a  black-and-red  banner  and 
the  Providence  men  wore  blue  and  gold.  Troy  flaunted  badges  of 
old  gold  and  red,  and  Kings  County  was  clad  in  brown. 

Following  the  uniformed  clubs  pedalled  an  army  of  unattached 
cyclists  garbed  In  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  each  according  to  his 
fancy.  Loud  applause  greeted  the  little  youngster  who,  clad  in  a 
"Joseph's  coat"  of  many  hues,  led  this  motley  division.  It  took  the 
procession  over  three-quarters  of  an  hour  to  pass  the  circle  at  59th 
Street,  whence  it  pedalled  up  Fifth  Avenue  to  ii6th  Street,  to  Seventh 
Avenue,  through  Central  Park  to  the  West  Drive,  to  59th  Street,  back 
to  72d  Street,  and  to  Riverside  Drive,  where  the  cyclists  dismounted 
and  stacked  wheels.  They  massed  themselves  upon  Mount  Tom,  and 
with  General  Viele,  the  Park  Commissioner,  sitting  In  their  front  rank, 
were  photographed  e7i  masse  while  the  band  rendered  lively  music. 
This  ceremony  concluded  the  afternoon's  festivities,  and  the  tired 
wheelmen  broke  up  to  seek  rest  and  clean  clothes  before  attending  the 
banquet  held  at  the  Metropolitan  Hotel  at  eight  o'clock  that  evening. 

Fifth  Avenue  rioted  In  color  and  echoed  to  the  deafening  cheers 
of  a  vast_  multitude  on  April  30,  1889,  when  there  marched  by  the 
great  military  parade  celebrating  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of 
Washington's  inauguration. 


Localities 
represented 
in  the 
Parade 


Washington 
Centenary 
Military 
Parade 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS  43 

The  parade  started  from  Wall  Street  and  Broadway  about  half-past 
ten  in  the  morning.  In  all  50,000  men  were  in  line,  arranged  in 
three  divisions.  The  first  division  was  composed  of  West  Point 
Cadets,  United  States  regulars,  bluejackets,  and  marines;  the  second, 
of  militia  from  twenty-two  states;  and  the  third,  of  8,000  Grand  Army 
veterans.  General  Schofield  was  marshal  of  the  parade.  At  Madison 
Square,  extending  from  the  junction  of  Broadway  and  Fifth  Avenue 
to  just  opposite  the  Hotel  Brunswick,  was  a  reviewing  stand  from 
which  President  Harrison,  Ex-President  Cleveland,  General  Sherman, 
Mayor  Grant,  General  Tracy,  and  other  distinguished  men  reviewed 
the  procession. 

The  West  Pointers  and  regular  soldiers  and  sailors  swung  by  in 
splendid  style  and  were  followed  by  the  state  militia,  each  body  headed 
by  the  state  governor.  The  Delaware  troops  led  the  way,  the  states 
appearing  in  the  order  in  which  they  ratified  the  Constitution.  Of 
all  the  state  troops  the  Pennsylvanians  looked  the  most  efficient, 
being  soberly  uniformed  like  the  regulars  and  in  heavy  marching 
order.  Many  of  the  other  state  troops  were  most  gaudily  attired, 
and  the  result  was  an  everchanging  stream  of  rainbow  hues.  The 
famous  Seventh  New  York  Regiment  received  its  usual  ovation  and 
distinguished  itself  by  its  fine  bearing.  The  Ancient  and  Honorable 
Artillery  Company  of  Boston  won  an  outburst  of  applause  from  the 
crowds  by  the  dazzling  assortment  of  brilliant  colors  it  presented. 

During  a  half-hour  halt  in  the  procession,  fruit  was  thrown  from 
windows  on  lower  Fifth  Avenue  to  the  waiting  soldiers,  and  at  other 
places  sandwiches  and  flowers  were  tossed  out. 

President  Harrison  punctiliously  answered  every  salute,  until  the 
blue  ranks  of  the  Grand  Army  veterans,  their  torn  battle  flags  flutter- 
ing proudly  in  the  April  breeze,  passed  slowly  by.  Not  until  two 
o'clock  did  the  head  of  the  parade  reach  its  goal  at  57th  Street  and 
Fifth  Avenue,  where  the  tired  marchers  broke  ranks. 

The  military  parade  of  April  30  was  followed  the  next  day  by  a  Washington 
vast  civic   procession   which   moved   down   Fifth  Avenue  from  57th  Centenary 
Street  and  disbanded  at  Broadway  and  Canal  Street.     The  crowds  ^^^^^ 
were  not  quite  so  numerous  as  on  the  previous  day,  but  the  thousands   "^^^"^ 
that    lined    the    sidewalks    were    greatly    interested    in    the    endless 
variety  of  the  parade,  which  was   reviewed  by  President  Harrison, 
Ex-Presidents    Hayes    and   Cleveland,   General   Sherman,   and   other 
notables. 

General  Butterfield  led  the  column  down  Fifth  Avenue.  First 
came  students  from  Columbia,  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
the  Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum,  and  eight  public  school  battalions,  whose 
fine  marching  won  applause.  Then  came  French  societies,  their  bands 
playing  the  "Marseillaise";  Knights  of  Temperance,  Sons  of  Vet- 
erans, Italians  in  blue  and  green,  Scotch  Highlanders  in  kilts  and 
bonnets,  and  the  Continental  Guards  of  Yonkers  uniformed  in  blue 
and  white.  The  aged  General  Abraham  Dalley  of  Yonkers,  ninety- 
four  years  old  and  a  veteran  of  the  War  of  181 2,  was  helped  up  to  the 


44 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


^^..Jii 


From  a  print.  Harper's  Weekly. 

COLLEGE  STUDENTS  MARCHING   IN  THE  WASHINGTON  CENTENARY 
PARADE  OF  MAY   i,   1889. 

reviewing  stand  and  shook  hands  with  the  President,  occupying  a  seat 
in  his  box. 

A  broad  river  of  red  filled  the  Avenue  for  over  a  mile  and  flowed 
past  the  stand  as  the  veteran  firemen  marched  by  with  their  apparatus. 
Loud  applause  greeted  Chief  Decker  and  the  old  Ex-Chief  Harry 
Howard,  who  marched  with  head  up  but  with  faltering  steps,  sup- 
ported by  two  firemen.  The  Tammany  division  marched  in  files  of 
twenties  led  by  General  John  Cochrane  and  Chamberlain  Croker,  each 
man  in  a  shiny  silk  hat.  The  Italian  organizations  were  followed  by 
the  Scandinavians,  the  Irish,  and  the  Germans.  The  latter  turned 
out  in  great  numbers  with  many  beautiful  floats,  and  made  a  fine 
showing.  Representatives  of  countless  trades  and  many  nationalities, 
with  floats  of  every  description,  went  down  the  Avenue  in  endless 
succession,  until  finally  the  rear  of  the  huge  column  was  brought  up 
by  the  religious  societies.  President  Harrison  appeared  to  enjoy  the 
varied  procession  thoroughly,  and  the  crowds  shared  his  good  humor. 
Columbian  New  York  celebrated  the  four  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  dis- 
Military  covery  of  America  by  Columbus  upon  a  magnificent  scale.  The  prin- 
Parade  cipal  event  was  the  military  parade  of  October  12,  1892.  Sixty-five 
thousand  men  comprised  its  ten  divisions,  which  passed  up  Fifth 
Avenue  to  59th  Street,  and  took  five  hours  and  thirty-five  minutes 
to  pass  the  reviewing  stand  at  Madison   Square,  from  which  Vice- 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS  45 

President  Levi  P.  Morton  and  Governor  Flower,  cabinet  officers,  and 
a  host  of  high  military  and  civic  officials  witnessed  the  great  spectacle. 

A  cavalcade  of  forty  mounted  police  headed  the  vast  procession, 
followed  by  Grand  Marshal  Martin  T.  McMahon  and  his  staff. 
Then  came  the  first  division  with  gray-uniformed  West-Pointers 
marching  smartly  at  the  head,  and  detachments  of  United  States 
Regulars  tramping  heavily  behind  them.  After  the  Regulars  there 
swung  along  with  easy  strides  nearly  four  hundred  jackies  and  marines 
from  the  ships-of-war  in  the  harbor,  their  brown  leggings  matching 
the  color  of  their  bronzed  faces.  Then  came  a  division  of  national 
guardsmen  from  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey,  Georgia, 
and  the  District  of  Columbia.  The  Brooklyn  troops  bore  up  most 
martially  under  the  weight  of  their  heavy  marching  equipment  of 
knapsacks  and  blankets.  A  remarkable  contrast  to  the  deadly  ma- 
chine guns  and  plain  white  uniforms  of  the  Naval  Reserve  were  the 
obsolete  equipment  and  gorgeous  uniforms  of  the  City  Troop  of 
Philadelphia,  resplendent  in  gleaming  helmets,  white  trousers,  long- 
tailed  black  coats  covered  with  gold  lace,  and  red  saddle-cloths. 

The  Pennsylvania  guardsmen  made  a  fine  impression  by  their 
soldierly  appearance,  and  deafening  cheers  greeted  the  Grand  Army 
men,  who  bore  proudly  up  the  Avenue  their  shot-torn  battle  flags. 
General  M.  Corcoran  Post  427  carried  a  ripped  and  faded  banner 
which  had  waved  over  every  battlefield  before  Petersburg  and 
Chancellorsville,  while  the  renowned  Alice  streamer  which  had  tossed 
in  the  breeze  over  countless  thrilling  scenes  was  borne  by  Judson 
Kilpatrick  Post  143.  Sixteen  abreast,  New  York's  letter  carriers 
marched  up  the  Avenue  in  splendid  order,  and  the  twenty-three 
companies  of  firemen  with  their  glittering  apparatus  and  beautiful 
horses  won  loud  applause  all  along  the  line. 

Then  came  rank  after  rank  of  foreign  societies  in  a  bewildering  con- 
fusion of  vivid  colors.  The  Italians  wore  particularly  gorgeous  uni- 
forms and  bore  a  dazzling  profusion  of  rainbow-hued  banners.  Some 
5,000  German-American  society  members  were  in  line,  many  in  military 
uniforms.  Knights  of  Pythias  clad  in  blue-black  with  gleaming  white 
helmets  and  nodding  crests  of  crimson,  Russians  in  dark  green  and 
black  wool  skullcaps,  red-sashed  Austrians  uniformed  in  blue  with 
black  fur  shakos  topped  by  the  double-headed  Austrian  eagle,  spir- 
ited French  infantrymen  proudly  bearing  the  handsome  Tricolor, 
and  countless  other  organizations  of  nearly  every  land  went  by  while 
the  vast  crowds  packing  the  sidewalks,  windows,  and  roofs  of  the 
Avenue  shouted  in  enthusiasm.  So  through  all  the  beautiful  fall 
afternoon  the  65,000  marchers  poured  up  Fifth  Avenue  in  the  glory 
of  the  dazzling  October  sun,  and  not  until  night  had  fallen  did  the 
tired  rear  guard  reach  the  end  of  the  march  at  59th  Street. 

Two  days  earlier,  the  schools  and  colleges  of  New  York  had  their    The 
show-day.     October    10,   1892,  was  declared   Children's  Day,  and  on    Children's 
it  there  marched  down   Fifth  Avenue  from  the  Columbian  Arch  at   Columbian 
59th    Street,  designed    by  a    twenty-one-year-old   Columbia    student  ^^^^^^ 


+6  FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 

named  Henry  B.  Herts,  to  the  Washington  Arch,  a  procession  that 
made  the  fathers  and  mothers  of  the  city  proud  and  happy. 

Mounted  poHce  headed  the  parade;  then  came  the  Grand  Marshal 
and  his  staif  on  horseback,  followed  by  Mayor  Hugh  Grant  marching 
alone.  Hearty  cheers  greeted  the  mayor,  and  when  there  followed 
the  Seventh  Regiment  Band  heading  10,000  public  school  cadets, 
formed  in  twenty  regiments,  the  applause  was  thunderous.  The 
second  division  of  the  parade  was  7,500  strong,  and  included  boy 
regiments  from  Long  Island  City  and  Jersey  City,  pupils  from  Cath- 
olic schools,  little  negro  boys  in  uniform  and  carrying  small  muskets, 
and  boys  and  girls  from  the  Carlisle  Indian  School.  Six  hundred 
.students  from  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York  led  the  college 
division,  which  was  heralded  by  sharp  college  yells.  New  York 
University  students  and  husky  youths  bearing  the  pale  blue  and  white 
of  Columbia  followed,  and  medical  students  from  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  made  a  hit  by  wearing  tiny  skeletons  on 
their  hats  and  carrying  human  bones, — a  somewhat  gruesome  spectacle 
which  contrasted  strikingly  with  the  delegation  from  the  Art  Students' 
League. 

On  a  stand  before  the   reservoir  at  4.26   Street  was  a  solid   mass 
of   pretty  young   schoolgirls,   looking   in   their  freshness    like    a    bed 
of  nodding  flowers.      As  it   passed  this    stand    every   band   stopped 
playing,  while  national  songs  rang  out  in  silvery  tones  from  the  sing- 
ing girls.     The  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  Levi  P.  Morton, 
reviewed  the  procession  with  several  governors  and  other  prominent 
men. 
Columbian        Fifth  Avenue  witnessed  an  unprecedented  spectacle  on  April  28, 
Naval   1893,  when  there  marched  down  it  to  the  blare  of  bands  and  the  cheers 
Parade   of  a  great  crowd  the  sailors  and  marines  of  ten  different  nations,  4,000 
strong.     The  occasion  was  the  Columbian  Celebration  preceding  the 
opening  of  the  World's  Fair  in  Chicago,  and  the  naval  forces  had  been 
landed  from   the  visiting   foreign   war-vessels   lying   in   the  Hudson 
River. 

It  was  probably  the  first  time  in  history  that  armed  forces  from  so 
many  different  nations  marched  through  a  city  in  time  of  peace. 
Never  before  had  British,  French,  Russian,  Italian,  Spanish,  Dutch, 
Argentinian,  Brazilian,  American,  and  German  sailors  paraded  to- 
gether. 

The  parade  started  from  the  Hudson  River  front  at  426.  Street 
about  eleven  o'clock,  passed  through  42d  Street  to  Fifth  Avenue 
and  down  the  Avenue  to  Washington  Square,  where  it  turned 
off  and  marched  down  Broadway  to  the  City  Hall.  At  the  City 
Hall  it  was  reviewed  by  the  commanding  officers  of  the  foreign 
men-of-war,  the  governors  of  several  states,  the  mayor,  and  other 
dignitaries. 

The  sailors  were  escorted  by  a  body  of  the  United  States  Engineering 
Corps,  detachments  from  the  Massachusetts  and  New  York  Naval 
reserves,  and  the  First  Brigade  of  the  New  York  National  Guard. 


FIFTH    AVENUE    EVENTS 


47 


From  a  photograph.  American  Sttidio. 

BRITISH  BLUEJACKETS  MARCHING  IN  THE  COLUMBIAN  NAVAL  PARADE 

OF  APRIL   28,   1893. 

Fifth  Avenue  was  packed  with  thousands  of  enthusiastically  cheering 
people  occupying  the  sidewalks,  windows,  roofs,  balconies,  and  the 
top  of  the  reservoir  at  42d  Street.  From  the  balcony  and  windows  of 
the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel  many  prominent  men  witnessed  the  parade, 
among  them  Senators  Morrill  of  Vermont,  Gray  of  Delaware,  Gibson 
of  Alabama,  and  Gorman  of  Maryland,  Ex-Senator  Hiscock  of  New 
York,  Governors  Smith  of  New  Hampshire  and  Brown  of  Rhode 
Island,  and  a  number  of  foreign  naval  officers. 

American  marines  and  jackies  from  the  White  Squadron,  2,500 
strong,  led  the  procession,  with  the  United  States  Marine  Band  at  their 
head  playing  splendid  music.  Then  came  the  British  sailors,  fine, 
husky  fellows,  with  a  solemn  billy-goat  adorned  with  a  bright  red 
blanket  trotting  majestically  ahead — the  mascot  of  H.  M.  S.  Tartar. 
Laughter  and  cheers  greeted  the  goat,  and  a  deafening  roar  of  applause 
rose  from  the  crowd  as  the  British  man-of-war's  men  swung  by  with 
a  rolling  gait  to  the  tune  of  "A  British  Tar  is  a  Roving  Blade."  The 
rollicking  air  and  swing  of  the  Britishers  caught  the  throng  in  an 
instant.  Their  sailors  wore  straw  hats,  blue  uniforms,  and  yellow 
leggings,  while  their  marines  brought  up  the  rear  in  a  vivid  blaze  of 
flaming  scarlet. 

The  blue  cross  of  Russia  followed,  fluttering  over  a  magnificent- 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS      ^ 


w  wwwwwim 


From  a  photograph.  American  Studio. 

RUSSIAN  SAILORS  IN  THE  COLUMBIAN  NAVAL  PARADE  OF  APRIL  28,  1893. 

looking  body  of  huge  men,  all  over  six  feet  tall,  marching  in  solid 
squares  eight  deep  and  wearing  streamers  of  ribbon  on  their  white 
caps.  The  Russians  were  by  far  the  most  imposing-looking  men  in 
the  parade,  and  the  crowd,  impressed  by  their  powerful  bearing  and 
disciplined  marching,  gave  them  cheer  after  cheer.  Next  came  the 
Italians,  a  striking  contrast  to  the  giants  of  the  Czar,  small,  light, 
active,  marching  with  quick,  nervous  tread.  They  wore  straw  hats 
and  carried  their  rifles  horizontally.  The  Germans  were  mostly 
young,  with  fresh,  smooth  faces.  They  marched  with  splendid  pre- 
cision,  keeping   ponderous   step   in   perfect  alignment  and   time. 

The  French  swung  gracefully  along  with  alert,  sprightly  tread^ 
the  gay  tricolor  waving  jauntily  over  a  forest  of  flashing  sword-bayonets 
and  red  topknots.  Men  of  many  races  followed  the  golden  sun  of 
Argentina, — Latin,  Saxon,  Celt,  Mongolian,  and  Nubian, — and  the 
green  banner  of  Brazil  waved  over  many  swarthy,  sinewy  men  of 
African  or  Indian  blood. 

The  sailors  presented  a  delightful  contrast  to  the  stiffness  and  rigid 
pomp  seen  in  military  parades.  Most  of  them  swung  along  with  an 
easy,  rolling  tread,  and  their  loose-fitting  shirts  and  trousers  and 
rakish  hats  gave  free  play  to  their  splendid  bodies.  The  stiff  march- 
ing and  tight  uniforms  of  the  New  York  National  Guardsmen  who 
paraded  with  them  lost  by  comparison,  and  the  pale  faces  and  white 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


49 


hands  of  the  citizen  soldiers  and  naval  reserve  contrasted  strongly 
with  the  sailors'  bronzed  coats  of  sea-tan. 

Before   Colonel   Waring   brought  efficiency   and   neatness   into   the  First  Parade 
street  cleaning  department  a  parade  by  its  members  would  probably  of  the  Street 
have  been  the  signal  for  ridicule.     Despite  the  sorrowful  protests  of  Cleaning 
certain  aldermen  who  vehemently  claimed  that  such  new-fangled  and  Department 
unheard-of    notions    as    uniforming    the    street    cleaners    would    only 
dispirit  and   utterly  degrade   them   in   the  eyes  of  their  fellows,   the 
spirit  of  progress  won  the  day  in  our  city,  and  made  possible — with- 
out a  chance  for  the  satirists   and  jokers    to  get   in  their  jabs,   that 
hitherto  undreamed-of  marvel — a   parade  of  the   street  cleaning  de- 
partment. 

It  occurred  May  26,  1896,  and  for  an  hour  and  a  half  sturdy  men 
neatly  uniformed  in  white  coats  passed  down  Fifth  Avenue,  with 
carts  and  sprinklers  creaking  and  rumbling  and  Colonel  Waring  riding 
proudly  at  the  column's  head.  A  reviewing  stand  had  been  built 
upon  the  slope  of  the  reservoir  at  42d  Street,  and  from  this  the  Mayor, 
city  officials,  and  many  prominent  citizens  witnessed  the  parade, 
while  the  crowd  lining  the  Avenue  applauded  lustily.  Prizes  were 
offered  for  the  men,  carts,  and  horses  making  the  best  appearance, 
and  the  display  was  well  calculated  to  fire  the  New  Yorker's  heart 
with  civic  pride. 

A  hundred   thousand  citizens  from   all  callings  and  walks  of  life  The  Sound 
marched,  October  31,  1896,  up  Fifth  Avenue  to  show  their  belief  in  Money 
the  sound  money  principles  advocated  by  the  Republicans  and  sound  P^^^^^ 
money  Democrats.     In  size  the  parade  was  one  of  the  greatest  polit- 
ical turnouts  ever  held  anywhere,  and  its  enthusiasm  was  proportionate 
to  its  bigness. 

From  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  six-thirty  in  the  evening 
rank  after  rank  of  cheering  men  marched  sixteen  abreast  past  the 
reviewing  stands  at  Madison  Square,  which  contained  Garrett  A. 
Hobart,  Republican  candidate  for  the  Vice-Presidency,  Governor 
Levi  P.  Morton,  Timothy  L.  Woodruff,  Republican  candidate  for 
Lieutenant-Governor,  Colonel  Ashley  W.  Cole,  Mayor  Strong,  and 
Ex-Mayor  Abram  S.  Hewitt,  Ex-Senator  Thomas  C.  Piatt,  Cornelius  N. 
Bliss,  Powell  Clayton,  Joseph  H.  Manley,  N.  B.  Scott,  Colonel  H.  L. 
Swords,  and  other  prominent  political  leaders. 

The  Avenue  was  crowded,  and  windows  from  which  to  see  the 
parade  had  been  rented  days  before.  Gold  bugs  and  other  emblems 
were  carried  by  the  marchers,  and  when  the  blare  of  the  bands  died 
away  "Rally  'Round  the  Flag,  Boys,"  "John  Brown's  Body,"  and 
other  patriotic  songs  burst  in  deafening  choruses  from  thousands  of 
lusty  throats. 

During  the  eighties  one  of  the  most  picturesque  sights  to  be  seen  The 
on  Fifth  Avenue  was  the  annual  parade  of  the  New  York  Coaching  Coaching 
Club.     Coaching  at  that  time  was  a  favorite  diversion  of  the  wealthy  Parades 
people  of  the  city.     It  was   introduced   from   England   in    1876  by 
Colonel  Delancey  Kane,  who  for  his  amusement  started  running  a 


1^u/t^  ^ 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


51 


coach  line  from  New  York  to  Pelham  Bridge,  using  a  handsome  old- 
fashioned  English  coach  imported  from  London. 

The  four-in-hand  left  the  Brunswick  Hotel  at  half-past  ten  every 
morning  and  reached  Pelham  Bridge  at  noon,  passing  through  Harlem, 
Mott  Haven,  Fox  Corners,  Union  Port,  West  Chester,  and  Middletown. 
The  return  trip  began  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  Hotel 
Brunswick  was  reached  at  half-past  five.  Colonel  Kane  did  not  expect 
to  make  money  out  of  the  venture,  but  charged  three  dollars  a  seat 
per  round  trip,  box  seats  costing  fifty  cents  extra  and  no  charge  being 
made  for  passengers'  baggage  up  to  eighty-five  pounds.  The  venture 
aroused  lively  interest  among  the  fashionable  set  of  the  city,  and  a 
coaching  club  was  formed  on  the  model  of  the  London  Four-in-Hand 
Club,  Messrs.  James  Gordon  Bennett,  Delancey  Kane,  Thomas 
Newbold,  Frederic  Bronson,  Leonard  Jerome,  A.  Thorndike  Rice, 
William  Jay,  William  P.  Douglas,  and  S.  Nicholas  Kane  being  the 
founders.  The  club  increased  in  membership,  and  coaching  was  much 
in  vogue  among  the  leisure  classes  for  some  ten  or  a  dozen  years. 
On  any  bright  summer  afternoon  prominent  members  of  New  York 
society  could  be  seen  driving  their  handsome  four-in-hands  through 
Central  Park  and  along  Fifth  Avenue,  and  the  sight  never  failed  to 
arouse  interest. 

"Coaching  Day"  on  Fifth  Avenue  was  always  the  occasion  of  a 
grand  turnout  of  the  wealth  and  fashion  of  the  city.  It  came  the  last 
Saturday  in  May  and  was  the  day  when  the  New  York  Coaching  Club 
held  its  annual  parade.  The  line  of  four-in-hand  tally-ho  coaches 
formed  before  the  Brunswick  Hotel,  handsomely  decorated  in  brilliant 
colors,  and  with  the  president  of  the  club  leading,  moved  up  Fifth 
Avenue  to  59th  Street,  and  drove  through  Central  Park  to  Mt.  St. 
Vincent;  then  returned  to  the  Avenue  and  down  to  Washington 
Square,  driving  back  to  the  Brunswick  for  the  club's  annual 
dinner. 

The  smart  coaches  were  a  beautiful  sight  as  they  rolled  along  the 
Avenue  with  their  handsome  horses  prancing  with  arching  necks, 
their  boxes  filled  with  richly  dressed  women  flashing  in  silks  and 
jewels,  the  club  members  in  bottle-green  cut-away  coats  with  brass 
buttons  and  tall  white  hats,  while  the  Avenue  echoed  with  the  sweet, 
mellow  call  of  the  tally-ho  horns.  All  the  social  world  lined  Fifth 
Avenue  to  applaud  or  envy  the  glittering  pageant,  while  windows  and 
balconies  were  filled  with  pretty  faces  and  the  sun  shimmered  on  gay 
parasols,  sparkling  gems,  lavish  bouquets  of  choicest  flowers,  and  costly 
dresses  of  a  thousand  rainbow  hues. 

The  body  of  Abraham  Lincoln  was  borne  through  Fifth  Avenue 
from  14th  to  34th  Streets,  on  its  way  from  the  City  Hall,  where  a 
hundred  and  twenty  thousand  people  had  seen  it  lying  in  state,  on 
April  25,  1865.  It  was  conveyed  to  the  Hudson  River  depot,  whence 
it  was  taken  to  Springfield,  Illinois. 

The  great  procession  that  escorted  the  body  numbered  fifty  thousand 
men  and  was  the  largest  that  New  York  had  then  ever  seen,  requiring 


Founders 
of  the 
New  York 
Coaching 
Club 


Lincoln's 

Funeral 

Procession 


52  FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 

four  hours  to  pass  and  extending  for  five  miles.  Business  was  sus- 
pended before  the  cortege  left  the  City  Hall  at  one  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  and  the  entire  city  was  draped  in  mourning.  The  Governor 
of  New  York,  the  Mayor,  city  and  state  officials,  distinguished  men 
from  difi^erent  parts  of  the  country,  regiments  of  soldiery,  marines, 
and  bluejackets,  civic  organizations,  societies,  and  foreign  consuls, 
passed  slowly  along  Fifth  Avenue  between  lines  of  silent,  bareheaded 
people  and  buildings  decked  in  black  to  the  tolling  of  bells,  the  solemn 
strains  of  dirges,  and  the  dull  booming  of  cannon  fired  at  minute 
intervals. 

The  funeral  car  was  beautifully  constructed,  decked  with  black  and 
silver  and  draped  flags  and  strewn  with  flowers,  and  drawn  by  sixteen 
gray  horses  covered  with  sable  drapery,  each  led  by  a  groom  in  mourn- 
ing. Many  heads  were  bowed  in  tears  as  it  passed,  and  New  York 
well  bespoke  that  afternoon  the  loving  tribute  of  the  nation  to  its 
great  departed  President. 
Farragut's  Through  Fifth  Avenue  on  September  30,  1870,  in  a  heavy  down- 
Funeral  pour  of  rain,  moved  a  splendid  procession  escorting  the  remains  of 
Admiral  Farragut  to  the  Harlem  depot.  The  body  had  been  brought 
by  sea  from  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  where  the  Admiral  died, 
and  was  landed  from  the  naval  tug  Catalpa  at  Pier  No.  39,  at  the  foot 
of  Canal  Street. 

The  funeral  procession  was  two  miles  long,  and  12,000  troops  were 
in  line,  each  regiment  marching  behind  its  band  playing  a  dirge. 
There  were  over  two  hundred  carriages  in  the  procession,  carrying 
relatives,  naval  and  military  officers,  clergymen,  judges,  business 
men,  and  state  and  national  dignitaries,  among  them  President  Grant, 
Secretary  of  War  Belknap,  Postmaster-General  Creswell,  Secretary 
of  the  Navy  Robeson,  and  several  governors.  Military  and  civic 
organizations  and  noted  men  from  many  cities  and  states  were  in 
line,  and  the  whole  made  up  a  solemn  spectacle  the  sombreness  of 
which  was  increased  by  rain. 
Route  The  route  was  Canal  Street  to  Broadway  to  14th  Street  to  Fifth 
of  the  Avenue,  and  up  the  Avenue  to  49th  Street  and  Fourth  Avenue,  where 
Procession  the  funeral  train  was  waiting  to  take  the  body  to  Woodlawn  Cemetery. 
The  flags  on  all  the  ships  in  the  harbor  and  on  public  buildings  hung 
at  half-mast,  many  hotels,  club-houses,  and  private  residences  were 
draped  in  black,  and  the  solemn  tolling  of  countless  bells  mingled 
with  the  slow  music  of  the  dirges  and  the  dull  booming  of  the  minute 
guns.  A  platoon  of  police  led  the  way,  followed  by  Grand  Marshal 
General  Alexander  Webb  with  his  staff,  the  marine  band  from  the 
Brooklyn  Navy  Yard,  and  a  detachment  of  marines.  Behind  the 
marines  came  the  coffin,  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  eight  sailors.  It 
was  of  rosewood,  covered  with  a  pall  of  black  velvet  heavily  fringed 
with  gold  and  embroidered  with  silver  anchors  and  the  name 
"Farragut."  A  flag  was  thrown  over  the  pall,  and  on  it  rested 
the  dead  sea-lord's  uniform,  admiral's  hat,  sword,  and  insignia  of 
rank. 


FIFTH    AVENUE     E\'ENTS 


53 


'■?%^  ^" 


From  a  print. 


Harper's  Weekly. 


ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT'S   FUNERAL  PROCESSION. 

The  long  line  of  carriages  followed,  and  then  came,  plodding  slowly 
through  the  mud  and  rain.  United  States  regulars  from  the  forts  in 
the  harbor,  the  First  and  Second  Divisions  of  the  New  York 
National  Guard,  3,000  veterans  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
a  brigade  of  the  New  York  Fire  Department,  a  hundred  boys  from 
the  Union  Home  and  School  for  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Orphans,  and 
other  organizations.  And  so  the  long  procession  wended  its  way 
slowly  up  the  Avenue  between  lines  of  silent  people,  to  the  Harlem 
depot. 

Marked  honors  were  paid  the  great  editor,  Horace  Greeley,  after   Horace 
his  death  on  November  29,  1872,  at  the  home  of  his  friend.  Dr.  George   Greeley's 
C.  S.  Choate,  near  Tarrytown.     The  body  was  conveyed  to  the  house   F^'f^^ral 
of  Mr.  Samuel  Sinclair  on  West  45th  Street  and  the  day  before  the  ^^''^J^^^^  4, 
funeral  it  was  brought  to  the  Governor's  Room  of  the  City  Hall,   ^  ^^ 
and  there  lay  in  state.     Mr.  A.  S.  Frissell,  who  at  the  time  was  em- 
ployed across  the  street  from  the  City  Hall,  recalls  vividly  the  great 
crowd  of  rich  and  poor  which  thronged  to  see  the  body.     The  old  and 


54  FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 

the  young,  fathers  with  their  little  children,  maimed  soldiers  on 
crutches,  generals,  merchants,  lawyers,  and  beggars  came  to  take  a 
last  look  at  Greeley's  face.  It  was  not  so  much  the  greatness  of  the 
multitude  which  made  this  demonstration  impressive,  but  the  purely 
spontaneous  character  of  the  tribute  to  a  good  man's  memory.  Un- 
affected sorrow  stamped  the  countenance  of  every  one. 

Dis-       Nearly  three  thousand  persons  passed  through  the  room  every  hour. 

tinguished  Men  known  far  and  wide  composed  the  body's  guard  of  honor.     They 

Men  in  the   were:     Messrs.    William    CuUen    Bryant,    William    B.    Astor,    Peter 

Body's  Cooper,  Moses  H.  Grinnell,  William  M.  Evarts,  A.  T.  Stewart,  John 

Guard  of  j^    j3jx,  Thurlow  Weed,  William  F.  Havemeyer,  George  W.  Varian, 

^^°^  William  Butler  Duncan,  Abraham  R.  Lawrence,  William  J.  Hoppin, 
Henry  Nicol,  Thomas  E.  Stewart,  Horatio  Seymour,  Samuel  Tilden, 
John  McKean,  Sheppard  Knapp,  John  T.  Hoffman,  A.  Oakley  Hall, 
Charles  O'Conor,  Emil  Sauer,  Augustus  Schell,  William  C.  Prime, 
Charles  P.  Daly,  Edward  J.  Carpenter,  and  John  B.  Stuart.  Flags 
all  over  the  city  hung  at  half-mast  and  signs  of  mourning  were  every- 
where. 

Services  were  held  in  the  Church  of  the  Divine  Paternity,  corner 
of  Fifth  Avenue  and  45th  Street,  and  were  attended  by  a  great  throng 
of  reverent  mourners.  Among  them  were  President  Grant,  Vice- 
President  Colfax,  Vice-President-elect  Wilson,  and  many  other  noted 
men.  The  church  was  draped  in  black,  and  the  clock  had  black 
drapery  around  it  and  a  white  floral  cross  within  a  green  wreath  above. 
It  was  stopped  at  the  hour  of  Mr.  Greeley's  death,  ten  minutes  of 
seven. 

A  hundred  and  twenty-five  carriages  were  in  the  funeral  procession 
which  moved  down  Fifth  Avenue  to  14th  Street,  without  music  or 
military  guard,  mounted  police  leading  the  way,  followed  by  Mayor 
Hall,  Superintendent  Kelso,  detachments  of  police  and  firemen, 
five  carriages  of  pallbearers.  President  Grant,  Vice-President  Colfax, 
and  Vice-President-elect  Wilson  in  an  open  landau.  Governor  Hoff- 
man and  other  governors,  Editor  Manton  Marble  of  the  World,  the 
Tribune  staff.  Typographical  Society,  Union  League  Club,  Common 
Council  and  other  city  officials,  representatives  of  the  Liberal  Re- 
publican Committee,  Union  Republican  General  Committee,  Tam- 
many Hall  General  Committee,  Lincoln  Club,  Simon  Cameron 
Association,  Sons  of  Temperance,  members  of  the  Lotos,  Arcadian, 
Farmers',  and  Rural  Clubs,  and  the  American  Institute.  Despite 
the  lack  of  banners,  music,  regalia,  and  military  pomp,  it  was  one 
of  the  most  impressive  processions  that  ever  passed  along  Fifth 
Avenue. 

Evening  shadows  had  begun  to  creep  about  the  vault  on  Locust 
Hill  at  the  Greenwood  Cemetery  when  the  cortege  reached  it.  A 
great  crowd  was  gathered  about.  While  relatives  wept  and  the 
throng  stood  motionless  in  silent  reverence,  a  short  prayer  was  said, 
a  blessing  given,  and  the  earthly  remains  of  Horace  Greeley  were 
lowered  into  the  vault. 


FIFTH     AVENUE     EVENTS  55 

How  Riverside  Drive  was  chosen  as  the  last  resting  place  of  General  How 
U.  S.  Grant  is  told  by  John  D.   Crimmins:  "The  morning  after  the  Riverside 
death  of  General  Grant  at   Mount  McGregor,"  said  Mr.  Crimmins,  Drive  was 
"  I  was  called  from  my  bed  at  Great  Neck  where  I  was  staying  at  chosen  as 
the  time,  a  short  distance  from  the  residence  of  Mayor  Grace,  by  a  ^^^  ^^-^^ 
reporter  from  the  New  York  Times,  Mr.  Riley,  who  had  called  on  ^^^'^"'S 
the  Mayor  and  had  been  directed  by  him  to  me.     Mr.  Riley  advised  q^^^j.^i 
me  that  Colonel  Fred  Grant  had  been  asked  where  his  father  was   jj  ^  Crant 
to  be  buried  and  had  replied,  'Either  in  Washington,  Springfield,  or 
New  York  where  the  people  treated  my  father  so  generously.'     It 
appealed  to  me  as  an  opportunity  to  have  the  remains  of  the  great 
General   placed  within  our  city,  and   the  question  was  'where.'     We 
telegraphed  Colonel  Grant  and  he  replied,  'In  the  vicinity  of  the  Mall.' 
The  Park  Board  was  called  together  and   a  resolution  was   passed 
practically    prohibiting    any    monument   within    Central    Park    such 
as  might  be  expected  would  be  raised  to  the  memory  of  the  General. 

"Without  advising  Colonel  Grant  of  this  action,  he  was  requested 
to  come  to  the  city,  which  he  did  the  following  day,  and  I  conveyed 
him  and  Major-General  Winfield  Hancock  and  Hon.  Henry  R.  Beek- 
man  and  Mr.  M.  C.  D.  Borden,  my  associates  on  the  Park  Board,  to  a 
site  opposite  the  Cancer  Hospital  at  io6th  Street  and  Eighth  Avenue. 

"Realizing  that  it  was  not  a  desirable  location,  in  consequence  of 
it  overlooking  the  Cancer  Hospital,  the  General  having  died  of  cancer, 
we  drove  to  Riverside  Drive,  where  I  pointed  out  the  advantages  of 
the  present  location,  that  it  was  in  the  vicinity  of  the  field  where  the 
Battle  of  Harlem  Heights  was  fought,  that  it  was  opposite  to  Fort 
Lee,  and  that  a  short  distance  away  was  Washington  Heights,  and 
other  Revolutionary  forts.  The  Colonel  said  the  site  was  satisfactory 
to  him  and  that  he  would  report  to  his  mother.  From  him  we  re- 
ceived a  telegram  shortly  after  his  return  to  Mount  McGregor,  that 
everything  was  perfectly  satisfactory,  provided  Mrs.  Grant  might 
finally  rest  beside  her  husband. 

"To  this  we  consented  and,  having  the  cordial  support  of  Mayor 
W.  R.  Grace,  we  immediately  began  the  preparation  for  the  temporary 
tomb,  which,  through  my  connection  with  the  building  trades  and 
contractors,  we  were  able  to  have  ready  for  the  funeral,  although 
there  was  at  the  time  no  appropriation  for  the  .work.  Everything 
was  in  readiness  on  time,  which  was  due  to  the  mechanics  employed 
working  every  hour  of  the  day.  The  funeral  practically  for  the  last 
time  brought  together  the  famous  generals  who  fought  opposite  sides, 
on  the  Union  and  Confederate.  The  ceremonies  lasted  until  the  late 
afternoon  and  after  the  funeral  Mr.  Beekman,  Mr.  Borden,  and 
myself,  entertained  the  invited  guests  from  out  of  town  for  luncheon 
at  the  Claremont  which  we  had  reserved  for  the  occasion.  General 
Hancock  and  also  generals  on  both  sides  renewed  their  army  associa- 
tions. And  those  from  out  of  town  spoke  of  the  excellent  selection 
and  when  the  historical  associations  were  pointed  out  were  enthusi- 


From  a  pholograph.  Collection  of  John  D.  Crimmins. 

FUNERAL  PROCESSION  OF  GENERAL  GRANT  PASSING  BRYANT  PARK. 


FIFTH     AVENUE     EVENTS  57 

Fifth  Avenue  echoed  to  the  solemn  strains  of  dirges  played  by  many  Grant's 
bands,  and  to  the  slow  tramp  of  thousands  of  marching  feet  on  August  Funeral 
8,    1885,   the  day  on   which  the  great   military  and  civic  procession  Procession 
escorted  the  remains  of  General  and  Ex-President  Ulysses  S.  Grant 
to  his  tomb  overlooking  the  Hudson.     For  two  days  and  three  nights 
the  body  of  General  Grant  had  lain  in  state  in  the  vestibule  of  the 
black-draped  City  Hall,  while  a  constant  stream  of  people,  estimated 
at  250,000,  flowed  by  his  coffin. 

Entering  Fifth  Avenue  from  14th  Street,  the  procession  moved  up 
to  57th  Street  and  then  west  to  Broadway.  The  clock  in  the  spire  of 
the  Brick  Presbyterian  Church  on  Fifth  Avenue  pointed  to  half-past  ten 
in  the  morning  when  Major-General  W.  S.  Hancock,  heading  the  pro- 
cession with  his  staff,  rode  past  the  church.  Not  until  half-past  three 
in  the  afternoon — five  hours  later — did  the  rear  guard  of  the  proces- 
sion pass  by. 

Major-General  W.  S.  Hancock  and  his  staff  led  the  procession  and 
following  came  rank  after  rank  of  soldiery,  twelve  thousand  strong. 
Looking  down  Fifth  Avenue  from  the  crest  of  Murray  Hill,  as  far  as 
the  eye  could  see  stretched  a  moving  mass  of  blue,  the  sunlight  flash- 
ing in  a  million  golden  points  from  rifle-barrels  and  sword-blades, 
while  regiment  after  regiment,  their  colors  draped  in  mourning, 
tramped  slowly  by  to  the  measured  music  of  many  dirges. 

The  first  division  of  the  procession  was  composed  of  regular  troops,  Description 
marines  and   sailors.   New  York  State  Militia,   the  Old  Guard,   the  of  the 
Governor's    Foot   Guards    of   Hartford,    Connecticut,    Zouaves,    and  Procession 
Italian  Guards.     It  took  an  hour  to  pass,  and  was  followed  by  the 
second  division,  composed  of  militia  from  different  states  commanded 
by  Major-General  E.  L.  Molineaux.     The  division  was  headed  by  the 
Brooklyn  regiments.     The  crack  Seventh  New  York  and  First  Penn- 
sylvania distinguished  themselves  by  their  fine  bearing. 

By  this  time  the  head  of  the  procession  was  out  of  sight,  and  now 
appeared  score  upon  score  of  carriages  bearing  distinguished  mourners. 
First  came  clergymen  and  General  Grant's  physicians,  then  the 
pallbearers,  two  in  each  carriage,  their  carriages  being  driven  two 
abreast.  Following  the  pallbearers  marched  members  of  George  C. 
Meade  Post  No.  i,  G.  A.  R.,  the  Philadelphia  post  to  which  General 
Grant  belonged,  bearing  sixteen  battle  flags  torn  with  shot  and  shell. 
Directly  behind  these  was  the  catafalque,  drawn  by  twenty-four  black 
horses  with  sable  trappings,  each  horse  with  a  black-garbed  groom 
holding  its  bit.  The  body's  guard  of  honor,  a  detachment  from  Gen- 
eral U.  S.  Grant  Post  of  Brooklyn,  walked  on  both  sides  of  the  cata- 
falque, with  two  companies  of  regulars  as  a  bodyguard. 

The  casket  was  in  plain  sight,  resting  beneath  a  black  canopy. 
As  it  passed  a  hush  fell  upon  the  crowds  lining  the  Avenue  and  every 
head  was  bared  in  silent  tribute.  More  carriages  rolled  by,  and  then 
President  Cleveland  appeared.  He  was  applauded  heartily  as  he 
drove  by,  but  he  gravely  refused  to  acknowledge  the  applause.  Other 
carriages    contained    Secretary    Bayard    and    other    cabinet    officers. 


58  FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 

General  Grant's  old  staff,  United  States  senators  and  representatives, 
ex-cabinet  officers,  supreme  court  judges,  members  of  the  diplomatic 
corps  under  President  Grant,  Ex-Presidents  Hayes  and  Arthur,  and 
state  governors  with  their  staffs. 

Following    the    carriages    of    the    state    dignitaries    drove    General 

Sickles,  at  the  head  of  a  division  of  members  of  veteran  associations, 

18,000  strong,  who  marched  with  a  splendid  swing.     The  fourth  and 

last  division  was  composed  of  civic  organizations,  having  some  8,000 

men  in  line. 

President       The  funeral  of  Ex-President  Chester  A.  Arthur  was  held   at  the 

Jrthur's  Church  of  the  Heavenly  Rest  on  Fifth  Avenue,  November  22,  1886. 

Funeral  His  family  desired  a  quiet  and  so  far  as  possible  a  private  funeral,  but 

the  ceremonies,  while  free  from  undue  pomp,  were  very  impressive. 

Famous  men  from  all  over  the  country  gathered  to  pay  honor  to 
the  dead  statesman,  among  them  President  Cleveland,  the  only  living 
Ex-President,  Hayes,  justices  of  the  supreme  court,  cabinet  officers, 
senators,  representatives,  etc.  The  body  was  taken  from  No.  123 
Lexington  Avenue  to  the  Church  of  the  Heavenly  Rest  at  nine  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  Outside  the  church  on  Fifth  Avenue  was  a  military 
and  naval  guard  of  honor  composed  of  six  batteries  of  the  Fifth 
United  States  Artillery  from  Governor's  Island,  and  five  companies 
of  bluejackets  and  a  company  of  marines  from  the  navy  yard.  When 
the  services  were  ended,  a  procession  was  formed  and  moved  down 
Fifth  Avenue  to  the  Grand  Central  station,  the  soldiers  and  sailors 
leading.  A  special  train  carried  the  body  to  the  cemetery  at 
Albany. 
General  Seldom  has  so  dense  a  mass  of  humanity  packed  the  sidewalks, 
Sherman's  roof-tops,  and  windows  along  the  Avenue  as  on  the  afternoon  of 
Funeral  February  19,  1891.  Even  the  spires  of  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral  were 
filled  with  sight-seers.  The  occasion  which  drew  thousands  to  Fifth 
Avenue  was  the  funeral  of  General  Sherman,  who  had  died  on  Feb- 
ruary 14  and  whose  body,  lying  in  state  at  his  71st  Street  house,  had 
been  viewed  by  great  multitudes. 

The  military  and  civic  procession  included  over  eleven  thousand 
marchers,  many  of  them  the  General's  old  soldiers.  Strangely  enough, 
the  route  traversed  was  almost  exactly  the  same,  only  in  the  opposite 
direction,  over  which  the  dead  commander  had  passed  in  the  Wash- 
ington Centenary  parade,  of  April  30,  1889,  but  this  time  the  build- 
ings along  the  way  were  draped  in  mourning. 

The  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel,  its  roof  lined  with  spectators  and  its 
windows  filled,  was  most  handsomely  draped  in  mourning,  while  the 
display  on  the  Hoffman  House  near  by  was  also  very  elaborate  and 
artistic.  The  mourning  decorations  were  also  very  striking  on  the 
Union  League  Club  house,  the  Century,  the  Knickerbocker,  the 
quarters  of  the  Seventh  Regiment  Veterans  and  the  Ohio  Society, 
the  Buckingham,  Langham,  Victoria,  Brevoort,  Berkeley,  and  Bruns- 
wick Hotels,  and  the  Sickles,  Butterfield,  Wilson,  Vanderpoel,  Whitney, 
Goelet,  and  Vanderbilt  houses. 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


59 


From  a  print. 


THE  SHERMAN  FUNERAL  PROCESSION. 

Showing  the  funeral  cortege  passing  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel. 


Harper's  Weekly. 


The  General's  body  was  borne  in  military  style  on  a  caisson  in  a 
casket  draped  with  flags.  The  grounds  of  the  Catholic  Orphan 
Asylum  next  to  the  Cathedral  on  50th  Street  were  filled  with  people, 
and  on  a  little  eminence  was  drawn  up  the  institution's  cadet  corps 
in  full  uniform  at  present  arms.  None  of  these  youngsters  was  over 
twelve  years  old,  and  they  were  an  impressive  sight  as  they  stood 
rigidly  there  with  solemn  faces. 

As  the  procession  moved  toward  its  destination,  the  Pennsylvania 
ferry,  many  of  the  older  G.  A.  R.  veterans  were  forced  to  drop  out  of 
the  line,  the  tramp  proving  too  much  for  their  years,  so  that  it  was  with 
lessened  numbers  that  the  procession  was  finally  disbanded. 

DISASTERS  ON   FIFTH   AVENUE 

Fifth  Avenue  has  had  its  share  of  disasters,  riots,  and  fires.  Even 
a  wind-storm  came  in  for  some  attention  when  it  destroyed  the  half- 
completed  residence  of  William  R.  Martin,  located  then  in  what  was 
comparatively  a  rural  section  of  the  Avenue.  The  event  is  recalled 
by  Mr.  John  D.  Crimmins:  "The  first  building  for  a  residence  on 
Fifth  Avenue  north  of  57th  Street  was  started  by  William  R.  Martin 
between  62d  and  63d  Streets.  The  building  had  reached  about  four 
stories  and  it  was  exposed  in  every  direction.  A  violent  wind  storm 
blew  the  walls  completely  off  the  foundation.  Mr.  Martin  was  a  Park 
Commissioner  and  a  man  of  taste  and  education.     He  started  the 


6o  FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 

house  as  an  illustration  of  the  value  of  a  Park  front  for  residential 
purposes." 
The  Stone-  For  four  days  and  four  nights  in  August,  1834,  peaceful  Washington 
4:uUers'  Riot  Square — then  called  Washington  Parade  Ground — presented  a  warlike 
appearance.  The  Twenty-seventh  Regiment,  New  York  National 
Guard,  commanded  by  Colonel  Stevens,  lay  encamped  on  the  Square 
with  loaded  rifles,  ready  for  instant  action. 

Convict  labor  had  been  introduced  in  the  state  prison  at  Sing  Sing, 
and  for  some  time  great  discontent  had  prevailed  among  the  me- 
chanics and  artisans  of  New  York,  because  the  State  sold  its  convict 
labor  cheaper  than  the  prices  demanded  by  free  labor.  The  build- 
ings of  New  York  University  were  under  construction  on  the  east 
side  of  Washington  Square.  Westchester  marble  was  being  used, 
and  the  contractors,  to  save  money,  hired  Sing  Sing  labor  to  dress  the 
stone. 

At  once  the  resentment  of  the  stonecutters  and  masons  burst  into 
action.  Excited  meetings  were  held  and  addressed  by  leaders  who 
in  impassioned  speeches  denounced  the  employment  of  cheap  convict 
labor  as  "taking  the  bread  out  of  our  mouths,"  and  crowds  of  workmen 
paraded  the  streets  carrying  placards  and  banners  bearing  inscrip- 
tions assailing  prison  labor  and  the  contractors  and  demanding  the 
rights  of  the  workingmen.  Feeling  rose  so  high  that  the  houses  of 
several  persons  were  mobbed  and  citizens  assaulted.  Mayor  Cornelius 
W.  Lawrence,  fearing  that  the  workmen  at  the  University  buildings 
would  suffer  violence  and  the  civil  authorities  would  be  unable  to  con- 
trol the  rioters,  called  out  the  Twenty-seventh  Militia  Regiment  to 
disperse  the  tumultuous  crowds  marching  about  the  city. 

The  sight  of  the  troops  acted  like  a  balm  upon  the  parading  stone- 
cutters, and  the  rioters  broke  their  ranks  and  went  home.  No  more 
trouble  ensued,  but  the  city  was  so  wrought  up  by  the  turbulent 
scenes  that  the  soldiers  were  kept  under  arms  near  the  University 
buildings  for  the  four  days,  to  guard  against  further  outbreaks. 

The  building  of  the  University  and  of  the  houses  on  the  north- 
west corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and   i8th  Street,  which  were  built  by 
Robert  C.  Townsend  and  Henry  H.  Elliott,  of  marble  cut  at  Sing 
Sing,  was  delayed  by  the  disturbance,   and   no  more  buildings  were 
constructed  of  convict-dressed  stone. 
The       The  House  of  Refuge  fire,  June  20,  1839,  was  a  spectacular  episode. 
Burning  of  The   building    stood    at   Madison    Square    near   where    the    Farragut 
the  House  of  statue  now  stands,  then  the  junction  of  the  Eastern  Post  Road  and 
Refuge  the    Bloomingdale    Road.     The   neighborhood   was    quite   rural,    and 
adjoining  the  House  of  Refuge  was  a  cherry  orchard.     The  House 
of  Refuge  was  opened  in  1824  by  the  Society  for  the  Reformation 
of  Youthful   Delinquents,    the   first  American   society   whose   object 
was  the  care  and  reformation  of  juvenile  offenders.     The  fire  broke 
out  late  in  the  afternoon  in  the  workshop  of  Stephen  C.  Demarest  & 
Co.,  who  carried  on  a  brass  nail,  mat,  and  whip  factory,  and  over 
whose  shop  was  a  chair-seat  factory  run  by  one  Captain  Seaman. 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS  6i 

Bursting  out  in  the  centre  of  the  brass  nail  factory,  the  flames  quickly 
ignited  the  upper  story  of  the  House  of  Refuge. 

An  alarm  was  promptly  given,  and  the  inmates  were  safely  led 
out  and  secured  so  that  none  could  escape.  No  hose  was,  however, 
at  hand.  The  flames  were  rapidly  spreading  amid  a  wild  scene  of 
helpless  confusion,  when  up  to  the  blazing  building  dashed  spectacu- 
larly Ex-Alderman  Bunting  of  the  Fourth  Ward,  who  had  built  the 
structure.  He  had  driven  his  galloping  horse  up  the  main  road  that  Fighting 
led  to  Madison  Square,  and,  jumping  from  the  gig,  took  command  the  Fire 
of  the  situation.  Calling  upon  a  dozen  men  to  follow  him  with 
water  buckets,  he  rushed  to  the  wing  of  the  building,  on  which 
flames  were  rapidly  licking  up  the  shingles,  and,  stripping  to  his 
shirt-sleeves,  began  to  throw  water  on  the  roof  as  fast  as  the  buckets 
could  be  handed  to  him.  He  soon  had  the  fire  on  the  roof  under 
control. 

Meanwhile  the  fire  engines,  with  a  crowd  of  citizens,  had  arrived 
upon  the  scene,  and  began  playing  streams  of  water  upon  the  con- 
flagration. The  whole  of  the  House  of  Refuge,  except  the  women's 
wing,  which  had  been  saved  by  Mr.  Bunting's  efforts,  was  by  this 
time  a  roaring  furnace. 

A  turbulent  gang  of  roughs  from  all  over  the  city  overflowed  into 
the  orchard  by  the  blazing  building  and  began  destroying  the  trees 
and  stripping  them  of  fruit,  threatening  violence  to  those  opposing 
them.  A  riot  had  begun  when  the  Mayor  with  a  posse  of  police 
arrived  and  rushed  the  mob.  Blows  were  struck,  and  there  was  a 
general  melee.  Justice  Taylor  of  the  upper  Police  Court  had  a  set-to 
with  a  rough  bent  on  having  his  fill  of  cherries,  and  the  Justice  lost 
his  coat-sleeve  in  mastering  his  opponent.  But  the  police  shortly 
got  the  upper  hand  of  the  gangsters,  and  order  was  restored. 

The  entire  building  excepting  the  women's  wing  was  soon  a  heap 
of  ruins,  but  no  one  was  hurt.  After  the  fire  the  institution  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  foot  of  East  23d  Street,  where  it  remained  until  about 
1854,  when  it  was  moved  to  Randall's  Island.  _ 

One  of  the  show  places  off  Fifth  Avenue  from  1853  to  1858  was  Crystal 
the  Crystal  Palace,  which  stood  west  of  the  old  reservoir,  in  what  is  Palace  Fir 
now  known  as  Bryant  Park.  This  building,  which  was  designed 
somewhat  after  the  model  of  the  famous  Crystal  Palace  in  London, 
in  the  shape  of  a  Greek  cross,  was  built  of  glass  and  iron,  with  broad 
aisles,  arched  naves,  and  a  graceful  dome.  It  cost  about  ^650,000,  and 
was  opened  by  President  Franklin  Pierce  on  July  14,  1853,  ^s  an 
exhibition  hall  for  a  display  of  the  world's  industries  and  arts.  Finan- 
cially it  was  not  a  success.  It  was  the  scene  of  a  great  reception  in 
1858  to  Cyrus  W.  Field  when  the  Atlantic  cable  was  laid. 

About  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  October  5,  1858,  when 
the  annual  fair  of  the  American  Institute  was  being  held  in  the 
building  and  it  was  filled  with  a  valuable  collection  of  costly  goods,, 
many  the  property  of  prominent  merchants  of  the  city,  fire  broke 
out. 


62 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


From  a  print.  Collection  of  J.  Clarence  Davies. 

INTERIOR  OF  THE  CRYSTAL  PALACE. 


Some  two  thousand  visitors  were  in  the  building  at  the  time.  The 
entrance  on  40th  Street  was  closed  and  the  panic-stricken  crowd 
rushed  madly  for  the  Sixth  Avenue  entrance.  Ex-Captain  Maynard 
of  the  Municipal  Police  and  several  Directors  of  the  Institute  threw 
themselves  into  the  midst  of  the  terror-stricken  mob  and  by  heroic 
efforts  succeeded  in  guiding  every  one  safely  to  the  street.  The 
whole  northern  part  of  the  building  was  soon  ablaze,  and  the  flames 
leaped  up  and  swept  along  the  galleries,  which  by  this  time  were 
fortunately  deserted.  Some  one  foolishly  or  with  deliberate  intent 
opened  the  doors  at  the  40th  Street  entrance,  and  with  a  strong 
draught  circulating  through  the  building  its  whole  interior  was  a 
roaring  furnace  in  less  than  three  minutes. 
The  The  fire  department  was  shortly  on  the  scene,  and  twenty  or  thirty 
Building  streams  of  water  were  thrown  into  the  building,  but  it  was  seen  that 
consumed  [i  was  doomed.  Several  pieces  of  fire  apparatus  were  on  exhibition, 
and  the  firemen  made  desperate  attempts  to  rescue  them,  finally 
succeeding  in  saving  two  hose  wagons.  Some  of  the  exhibitors 
bravely  rushed  into  the  burning  building  to  save  their  property, 
but  the  terrible  heat  and  strangling  smoke  drove  them  out,  and 
hardly  anything  was  saved.  The  loss  was  estimated  at  about 
;S2,ooo,ooo. 

The  rumor  was  widely  circulated — and  generally  believed — that  the 
Crystal  Palace  had  been  purposely  set  on  fire.  The  theory  that  the 
conflagration  was  due  to  leaking  gas  which  was  accidentally  ignited 
was  not  believed  by  most  people. 


FIFTH     AVENUE     EVENTS 


63 


From  a  print. 


Collection  of  J .  Clarence  Davies. 


THE  CRYSTAL  PALACE  FIRE. 


On  Fifth  Avenue  between  43d  and  44th  Streets  was  staged  July  13,  Colored 
1863,  a  terrible  scene  of  rioting  and  fire.     Measures  had  been  taken  Orphan 
several  days  previously  to  draft  men  from  New  York  City  into  the  Asylum  Fire 
Union  Army,  and  on  Monday,  July  13,  a  mob,  goaded  to  wild  passion  ^^.^  Draft 
by  hatred  of  the  draft  and  by  the  harangues  of  demagogues,  started  ^^^^ 
to  riot  and  destroy  anything  and  every  one  that  stood  in  its  path. 

Some  twenty  names  had  been  called  in  the  drafting  office  at  Third 
Avenue  and  46th  Street,  when  a  crowd  of  five  hundred  men  and 
boys  hurled  a  shower  of  stones  and  brickbats  through  the  windows 
and  rushing  in  drove  the  draft  officers  out  the  back  entrance,  destroyed 
all  the  books  and  papers,  and  set  the  building  on  fire.  The  flames 
caught  the  adjoining  buildings,  and  the  whole  block  was  burned  to 
the  ground.  Police  Superintendent  Kennedy  was  seized  by  the  mob 
and  nearly  killed  before  he  could  be  rescued.  The  armory  at  Second 
Avenue  and  21st  Street  was  attacked  by  three  or  four  thousand  men 
and  boys,  the  doors  were  broken  in,  and  the  mob  was  rushing  in  when 
a  volley  from  the  body  of  police  garrisoning  the  building  dropped  a 
half-dozen  of  the  leaders  upon  the  threshold.  For  a  few  moments 
the  mob  drew  ofi",  but  then,  doubly  furious  at  the  killing  and  wounding 
of  their  comrades,  the  rioters  charged  the  building  madly,  hurling 
paving  stones  and  firing  pistols  as  they  came.  The  police  fought 
desperately  to  keep  them  out,  but  orders  came  to  evacuate  the 
armory  and  they  abandoned  it  to  the  mob,  which  set  it  on  fire. 

A  detachment  of  fifty  men  of  the  invalid  corps  under  Lieutenant 
Ried  hurried  from  the  Park  Barracks  to  disperse  the  rioters.  They 
fired  a  volley,  but  the  mob,  seeing  that  they  used  only  blank  cartridges, 


64  FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 

rushed  them  furiously,  broke  their  ranks,  disarmed  them,  and  chased 
the  soldiers  through  the  streets.  Many  were  caught  and  beaten  and 
kicked  nearly  to  death.  Bodies  of  police  were  routed  and  the  officers 
horribly  mauled  by  ruffians.  The  office  of  the  New  York  Tribune 
was  gutted  and  set  on  fire,  but  the  police  drove  ofi"  the  rioters  and  put 
out  the  flames.  Soldiers  of  the  Eleventh  New  York  Regiment  com- 
manded by  Colonel  O'Brien  broke  up  a  mob  in  Second  Avenue,  but 
the  Colonel,  getting  separated  from  his  men,  was  seized  by  the  mob 
and  beaten  to  death.  Several  rufiians  used  his  head  as  a  target  for 
pistol  practice  as  he  lay  dead  on  the  sidewalk,  and  then  hung  the  corpse 
from  a  lamp-post. 
Violence  of  The  rioters  singled  out  negroes  as  especial  objects  of  their  hatred, 
the  Mob  and  all  over  the  city  black  men,  women,  and  children  were  hunted, 
beaten,  and  murdered.  A  negro  teamster  was  brutally  pounded  with 
clubs  and  paving  stones  until  he  died,  and  then  the  bloodthirsty  mob 
strung  his  bleeding  body  from  a  tree,  set  fire  to  it,  and  danced  howling, 
singing,  and  cursing  about  the  blazing  corpse.  A  reign  of  terror  held 
possession  of  the  city,  and  fire,  murder,  pillage,  and  violence  stalked 
abroad  almost  unchecked.  After  wrecking  property  elsewhere  and 
overpowering  the  police  and  soldiers  who  tried  to  disperse  them,  the 
rioters,  several  thousand  strong,  started  up  Fifth  Avenue  to  plunder 
and  destroy  the  Colored  Orphan  Asylum. 

The  Colored  Orphan  Asylum  was  a  large  brick  building  with  four 
stories  and  two  wings  occupying  the  block  on  Fifth  Avenue  between 
43d  and  44th  Streets.  Built  in  1842  by  the  Association  for  the  Benefit 
of  Colored  Orphans,  it  contained  at  this  time  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  negro  children  who  were  being  cared  for  and  taught  useful 
trades. 

Nearly  all  the  occupants  had  been  taken  to  a  place  of  safety — 
the  police  station  of  the  Twentieth  Precinct — before  the  howling  mob 
arrived,  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Swarming  over  the 
grounds  and  up  the  stairs  they  rushed  through  rooms  and  corridors, 
smashing  and  pillaging.  In  a  short  time  the  building  was  stripped 
clean  from  basement  to  attic,  even  the  clothing  of  the  children  being 
stolen  by  the  pillagers.  Having  wrecked  the  interior  of  the  building 
and  taken  everything  of  value,  the  mob,  many  of  whom  were  women 
and  children,  prepared  to  complete  their  evil  work  by  burning  it. 

Waving  a  white  flag  of  truce  from  the  sidewalk  opposite  the  build- 
ing, those  in  charge  of  the  institution  pleaded  with  the  rioters  not  to 
burn  it,  but  only  jeers  and  threats  answered  them.     Fires  were  started 
in  several  places  on  the  first  floor,  when  a  party  of  firemen  led  by  Chief 
Gallantry  John  Decker  rushed  into  the  building  and  put  them  out.     Infuriated 

of  Fire  by  his  brave  action,  the  rioters  threatened  Decker  with  death,  but  he 
Chief  kept  on  extinguishing  the  fires  as  fast  as  they  were  started.     Standing 

Decker  on  the  front  steps  he  called  in  the  name  of  humanity  upon  the  mob, 
drunk  with  passion  and  whiskey,  that  raged  and  howled  and  cursed 
about  him,  not  to  disgrace  their  city  by  burning  a  charitable  institu- 
tion.    They  answered  by  making  a  rush  up  the  steps  to  kill  him,  and 


FIFTH     AVENUE     EVENTS 


65 


From  a  print, 


Collection  oj  J .  Clarence  Da:i( 


DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  COLORED  ORPHAN  ASYLUM,  44TH  STREET  AND 

FIFTH  AVENUE. 

only  the  gallantry  of  some  firemen,  who  threw  themselves  in  front  of 
the  charging  rabble  shouting  that  their  chief  could  be  injured  only 
over  their  dead  bodies,  saved  his  life.  Another  story  goes  that  Decker 
was  seized  by  the  mob  and  was  about  to  be  hanged  upon  a  near-by 
tree  when  his  ready  wit  saved  his  life.  Making  an  expressive  gesture 
toward  his  throat,  he  said  coolly  to  a  ringleader  of  the  mob  who  was 
tying  a  noose  in  the  rope: — 

*'What  good  will  it  do  you  to  hang  me.^  You  will  only  stop  my 
draft,  not  the  Government's!" 

The  jest  and  the  nerve  shown  by  the  gallant  fireman  took  the  fancy 
of  the  rioters,  and  Decker  was  not  injured. 

After  trying  for  an  hour  and  a  half  to  set  fire  to  the  asylum,  the  mob 
finally  succeeded,  and  soon  the  whole  building  was  ablaze.  About 
a  score  of  the  negro  children  who  had  not  escaped  with  the  rest  were 
seized  by  the  drunken  rioters,  who  had  already  captured  several 
colored  men  and  hanged  them  to  lamp-posts.  Some  of  the  ruffians 
were  inciting  the  mob  to  do  the  children  violence,  and  the  terrified 
little  orphans  were  being  roughly  handled,  when  through  the  clamoring 
throng  that  surrounded  them  burst  the  crew  of  Engine  Company 
No.  18  with  four  stage-drivers  of  the  426.  Street  line  and  a  young 
Irishman  named  Paddy  M'Caff"rey. 

The  resolute  bearing  of  the  fearless  little  band  cowed  the  mob,  and 
the  children  were  conducted  in  safety  to  the  police  station  of  the 


66  FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 

Thirty-fifth  Precinct.  Thus  all  the  inmates  of  the  asylum  received 
shelter  for  the  night  at  either  the  Twentieth  or  Thirty-fifth  Precinct 
police  stations.  Many  of  them  were  not  two  years  old,  and  none 
over  twelve.  The  asylum  was  totally  destroyed,  and  several  persons 
were  injured  by  falling  walls.  The  fire  loss  was  estimated  at 
$35,000. 
The  Windsor  As  the  St.  Patrick's  day  parade  swept  up  Fifth  Avenue,  on  the 
Hotel  Fire  afternoon  of  March  17,  1899,  a  bareheaded  man,  his  clothing,  face, 
and  hands  blackened  with  smoke,  ploughed  wildly  through  the  throng 
in  front  of  the  Windsor  Hotel  in  his  effort  to  reach  the  other  side  of 
the  Avenue.  An  alert  policeman  grabbed  him  and  hauled  him  back 
to  the  sidewalk,  gesticulating  and  stammering  incoherently.  The 
noise  of  a  passing  band  drowned  his  words,  and  the  policeman,  be- 
wildered, was  holding  him  tightly,  when  he  stabbed  the  air  with  his 
hand  in  the  direction  of  the  Windsor  Hotel  right  behind.  Looking 
around,  the  officer  saw  great  clouds  of  smoke  and  flame  belching  from 
the  windows  on  the  second  floor.     The  hotel  was  on  fire! 

The  alarm  then  given  was  the  prelude  to  the  most  terrible  fire 
which  has  occurred  on  Fifth  Avenue.  Fourteen  persons  were  killed 
and  fifty  injured. 

The  Windsor  Hotel,  a  dignified  building  of  seven  stories,  occupied 
the  whole  block  on  the  east  side  of  Fifth  Avenue  between  46th  and 
47th  Streets.  About  3  p.m.  many  of  the  hotel's  windows  were  filled 
with  interested  spectators  of  the  parade.  It  was  said  that  one  of  the 
front  parlors  on  the  second  floor  was  occupied  by  a  man  who  was 
alone  and  who  lit  a  cigar  and  carelessly  tossed  the  match  out  the  open 
window.  It  hit  the  window  curtains  while  still  burning,  and  instantly 
they  were  ablaze.  The  man  lost  his  head  completely  and  bolted  from 
the  room  without  trying  to  put  out  the  fire  or  give  the  alarm.  When 
the  head  waiter  happened  to  go  by  the  door  a  few  minutes  later,  the 
smell  of  smoke  attracted  his  attention,  and,  looking  into  the  parlor, 
he  saw  the  curtains  and  window  casing  a  mass  of  flame,  while  the 
tongues  were  rapidly  licking  up  the  side  of  the  room.  Rushing  in,  he 
strove  to  put  out  the  blaze,  but  it  had  too  much  headway.  After 
severely  burning  his  hands,  he  jumped  into  the  corridor  and  leaped 
down  the  stairs  yelling  "Fire!"  Reaching  the  crowded  sidewalk,  he 
started  across  the  Avenue  for  the  nearest  fire  alarm  box,  only  to  be 
seized  by  the  policeman,  as  told  above. 

By  the  time  an  alarm  was  rung  the  whole  street  and  interior  of  the 
hotel  was  in  an  uproar.  Four  alarms  were  sent  in,  and  brought  a  big 
force  of  fire  apparatus.  Crowds  of  paraders  and  spectators  impeded 
the  work  of  the  firemen,  and  an  inadequate  supply  of  water  hampered 
them  still  more.  The  peculiar  construction  of  the  hotel  made  it  a 
veritable  fire  trap.  The  fire  mounted  by  the  wide  halls  and  in  and 
out  of  the  windows  until  the  whole  interior  of  the  building  was  a 
seething  mass  of  writhing,  crackling  flame.  The  hoarse  shouts  of  the 
firemen,  the  clanging  of  gongs,  the  rumble  of  the  engines,  and  the 
frantic  screams  of  those  caught  within  the  burning  building  made  a 


FIFTH     AVENUE     EVENTS 


67 


horrid  medley  of  sound,  while  the  tragic  scenes  enacted  in  the  windows 
of  the  hotel  were  never  forgotten  by  those  who  witnessed  them. 

Many  of  the  windows  of  the  hotel  were  jammed  with  screaming  Incidents 
guests.  Now  and  then  a  yellow  sheet  of  flame  would  shoot  up  like  a  of  the  Fire 
devouring  monster  over  a  window  filled  with  blanched  faces,  and 
they  would  disappear  into  the  furnace.  Many  tried  to  slide  down 
fire  escape  ropes,  which  were  in  every  bedroom,  but  the  friction  burned 
the  skin  from  their  hands,  and  they  fell  into  the  street.  Others  lost 
their  heads  and  in  wild  panic  jumped  from  the  windows.  Some  were 
caught  in  nets,  others  were  fatally  crushed  or  maimed  for  life  on  the 
flagging. 

A  woman  with  a  baby  in  her  arms  stood  at  one  window  imploring 
help,  while  the  flames  were  leaping  up  to  the  sill  from  the  lower  floor. 
Finally  she  lost  her  reason  and,  hurling  the  infant  into  the  street, 
jumped  after  it.  Another  richly  dressed  woman  lifted  her  arms 
helplessly  heavenward  from  a  window  on  the  fourth  floor  and  then 
leaped,  turning  several  times  in  the  air  before  she  struck  the  iron  rail- 
ing below.  A  trained  nurse  stopped  two  men  frantically  hunting  for 
a  fire  escape,  telling  them  there  was  one  in  her  room.  They  rushed 
after  her,  but  when  they  were  inside  they  saw  no  fire  escape  but  a 
crippled  old  woman  in  a  wheel-chair,  and  the  brave  nurse,  backing 
against  the  closed  door,  demanded  that  they  help  her  rescue  her 
patient.  Roused  by  her  spirit,  the  men  took  hold,  and  the  quartet 
reached  the  open  air  safely. 

Worked  to  a  frenzy  by  such  scenes,  the  firemen  labored  like  heroes, 
and  many  gallant  rescues  were  made.  The  loss  -of  life  would  have 
been  much  smaller  had  those  at  the  windows  kept  their  heads  and 
refrained  from  jumping.  Before  dark  the  hotel  was  a  blackened  heap 
of  smoking  ruins,  with  but  one  wall  standing,  which  soon  "slid  down 
to  its  base  like  a  closing  fan."  And  not  until  seven  in  the  evening 
was  the  fire  fully  under  control  and  near-by  property  out  of  danger. 
Palatial  business  structures,  among  which  is  that  of  W.  &  J.  Sloane, 
now  occupy  the  site. 

Though  much  less  spectacular  than  the  Windsor  Hotel  fire,  that 
which  occurred  at  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel  on  December  10,  1872, 
was  even  more  fatal,  for  twenty-two  people  were  suffocated  before 
the  fire  was  extinguished.  It  started  about  11. 15  p.m.,  December  9, 
1872,  in  the  upper  story  on  the  23d  Street  side,  and  by  midnight  the 
entire  23d  Street  side  was  ablaze. 

The  cause  was  unknown,  but  it  originated  in  the  elevator  or  stairs 
leading  to  the  laundry  on  the  top  floor.  Many  of  the  guests  were 
in  bed  when  the  fire  broke  out,  and  the  appearance  of  firemen  dragging 
hose  up  the  stairs  and  through  corridors  was  the  first  inkling  many 
had  of  the  danger.  A  panic  ensued.  The  guests,  throwing  on  their 
clothes,  hastily  gathered  their  belongings  and  rushed  downstairs. 
Only  by  great  efforts  did  the  firemen  save  the  hotel. 

Having  the  fire  nearly  all  out,  they  made  a  room-to-room  inspection 
of  the  building.     Entering  a  room  known  as  "the  cock-loft,"   high 


Fifth 
Avenue 
Hotel  Fire 


68 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


St.  Thomases 
Church  Fire 


From  a  print.  Leslie's  Weekly. 

THE   FIFTH   AVENUE  HOTEL   FIRE. 

Showing  the  discovery  of  the  victims  in  the  servants'  dormitory  by  the  firemen. 

up  under  the  roof,  where  slept  the  maids  and  laundry  women,  one  of 
the  firemen  tripped  over  something  on  the  floor  and  fell.  Throwing 
the  dim  rays  of  their  lantern  about  the  room,  the  firemen  saw  that  the 
floor  nearest  the  only  window  was  piled  with  charred  and  blackened 
bodies.  With  the  stairs  leading  to  the  twelve-by-twelve  sleeping  room 
on  fire,  the  only  way  of  escape  had  been  the  window  which  opened  on 
the  hotel  roof,  and  this  window  was  barred.  Evidences  were  every- 
where of  the  frightful  struggle  the  women  had  made  in  their  frantic 
endeavors  to  escape.  They  had  fought  and  screamed  to  force  the 
bars  on  the  window,  but  one  by  one  they  had  dropped,  overcome  by 
the  deadly  smoke  and  heat,  and  were  slowly  strangled  and  burned 
to  death.  At  half-past  two  in  the  morning,  twenty-two  corpses  had 
been  removed  by  the  firemen  and  police.  The  bodies  were  taken  out 
the  23d  Street  door  to  the  morgue.  And  yet  not  two  years  before,  the 
attic  room  had  been  inspected  by  the  New  York  Superintendent  of 
Buildings  and  pronounced  safe!  The  loss  was  estimated  at  from 
^75,000  to  ^100,000,  mostly  caused  by  water. 

St.  Thomas's  Episcopal  Church  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Fifth 
Avenue  and  53d  Street — the  predecessor  of  the  church  now  standing — 
was  destroyed  by  fire  on  August  8,  1905.  Poor  insulation  of  the 
electric  wiring  which  supplied  power  to  the  great  organ  was  supposed 
to  have  caused  the  fire.     Fifty  fire  companies   labored   to   save  the 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS  69 

church,  but  despite  their  efforts  it  was  practically  ruined,  while  the 
residences  of  Dr.  Seward  Webb  and  H.  McK.  Twombly,  which  adjoined 
it  to  the  north,  suffered  much  damage  from  water.  Both  of  these,  as 
well  as  John  D.  Rockefeller's  house  at  4  West  54th  Street,  were  in 
danger  of  catching  before  the  fire  in  the  church  was  under  control. 

Four  alarms  were  sent  in,  bringing  a  lot  of  apparatus  to  the  scene; 
but  the  firemen  were  handicapped  by  scarcity  of  water  and  hydrants, 
and  Chief  Croker  stated  that  delay  in  sending  in  the  alarm  by  the 
police  made  it  impossible  for  the  church  to  be  saved. 

A  weird  incident  of  the  fire  occurred  when  the  big  tenor  bell  of  the  Dirges  peal 
chimes  given  the  church  by  Thomas  W.  Walter  suddenly  began  to  ^1^°^^  ^^^ 
toll  a  mournful  dirge  high  above  the  raging  flames,  as  if  bewailing  the  ^^^'"^^^ 
destruction  of  its  home.     The  cause  was  a  powerful  stream  of  water 
thrown  from  the  top  of  a  ladder  upon  the  bell.     The  distress  of  the 
pigeons  which  for  years  had  nested  in  the  spire  was  plainly  evident, 
as  they  circled  and  wheeled  distractedly,  crying  around  the  blazing 
tower. 

The  fire  loss  was  about  ^300,000,  two-thirds  covered  by  insurance; 
but  the  world  of  art  suffered  an  irreparable  loss  in  the  destruction  of 
John  LaFarge's  two  masterpieces  of  painting,  "Christ  Healing  the 
Sick"  and  "The  Resurrection,"  and  Augustus  Saint-Gaudens's  famous     • 
bronze  bas-relief,  "The  Adoration  of  the  Cross." 

The  church  was  built  in  1870  and  was  one  of  the  most  imposing 
buildings  in  the  city.  The  famous  architect,  Upjohn,  was  the  designer, 
and  he  considered  it  his  masterpiece.  It  was  of  Gothic  architecture, 
built  of  brownstone,  and  cost  almost  a  million  dollars.  Its  congrega- 
tion was  one  of  the  wealthiest  in  New  York  and  numbered  over  three 
thousand  persons.  In  this  church  Miss  Consuelo  Vanderbilt  wedded 
the  Duke  of  Marlborough,  and  Miss  May  Goelet  the  Duke  of  Rox- 
burghe,  while  among  other  noted  marriages  held  within  its  walls  were 
those  of  Senator  Clarke's  daughter  Catherine  and  Lewis  R.  Morris, 
and  Miss  Pauline  Whitney  and  Almeric  Paget.  The  rector  at  the 
time  of  the  fire  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ernest  M.  Stires. 

OTHER   EVENTS   ON   FIFTH   AVENUE 

Events  that  have  been  worthy  of  note  include  the  opening  of  an 
amusement  place — Franconi's  Hippodrome  in  1853;  the  dedication  of 
the  Worth  Monument  the  following  year;  the  dedication  of  St. 
Patrick's  Cathedral,  one  of  the  most  impressive  religious  ceremonies 
ever  performed  in  New  York  City;  and  the  opening  in  191 1  of  the  New 
York  Public  Library,  on  which  occasion  President  William  H. 
Taft  and  other  distinguished  speakers  assembled  to  observe  the 
occasion. 

A  great  amusement  place  known  as  Franconi's  Hippodrome,  the  Opening  of 
forerunner  of  Madison  Square  Garden,  was  opened  by  a  syndicate  of  Franconi's 
American  showmen  on  May  2,   1853,  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue   Hippodrome 
and  23d  Street,  where  the  Fifth  Avenue  Building  now  is.     This  was 


yo 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


The 

Tournament 

_  0/  "  The 

Field  of  the 

Cloth  of 

Gold'' 


Laying  of 

the  Corner 

Stone  of  the 

Washington 

Monument 


an  arena  enclosed  by  brick  walls  twenty  feet  high,  three  hundred  feet 
by  two  hundred  In  Its  Interior  dimensions,  containing  an  oval  race- 
track forty  feet  wide,  of  eight  laps  to  the  mile.  Ninety  thousand  square 
feet  of  canvas  roofed  the  arena,  and  a  thousand  gaslights  Illuminated 
It  by  night.  Parterres  of  verdure  were  laid  out  In  the  centre  of  the 
arena.  Inside  the  track,  and  Illuminated  fountains  and  beautiful 
vases  of  flowers  were  scattered  amid  the  green  parterres.  The  Hip- 
podrome seated  about  6,000  people,  and  3,000  could  find  standing 
room. 

Before  half-past  seven  In  the  evening  of  May  2,  every  available 
bit  of  space  In  the  Hippodrome  was  jammed  with  a  crowd  of  nearly 
10,000  people;  according  to  a  contemporary  paper  the  greatest  crowd 
that  had  ever  assembled  In  a  building  In  the  city  up  to  that  time. 
There  was  a  wild  stampede  for  seats,  and  many  people  were  knocked 
down  and  hurt  In  the  crush.  The  performance  was  given  by  a  com- 
pany of  one  hundred  and  forty  people.  Including  thirty  women. 
Eighty  horses  were  used,  ten  ostriches,  five  camels,  four  deer,  two 
elephants,  and  a  swarm  of  monkeys.  There  were  hurdle  races  be- 
tween monkeys  riding  ponies,  steeplechase  races  between  ostriches,  a 
six-horse  race  driven  by  young  women,  performances  by  a  "dancing 
horse,"  chariot  racing  with  women  drivers,  a  grand  tournament  rep- 
resenting the  days  of  chivalry,  and  a  pageant. 

The  tournament  was  dubbed  "The  Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold," 
and  ninety  characters  appeared  In  It,  representing  Kings  Henry  VHI 
of  England  and  Francis  I  of  France  and  their  nobles  and  retainers. 
The  array  marched  around  the  track  and  then  halted,  the  heralds 
sounded  their  trumpets,  and  the  gallant  knights  after  challenging 
each  other  to  combat  charged  with  levelled  lances  or  engaged  with 
sword  and  battle-axe.  A  most  clever  performance  was  that  of  a 
horse,  which,  feigning  death,  was  borne  off  the  field  on  a  hurdle. 
Finally  a  knight  In  black  armor  who  had  unhorsed  all  his  opponents 
was  awarded  the  victor's  prize  by  the  "Queen  of  Beauty,"  and  the 
tournament  ended  with  a  flourish  of  trumpets. 

"A  grand  fete  procession  In  honor  of  Ceres"  was  another  feature 
of  the  performance.  The  goddess  sat  upon  a  car  decorated  with 
figures  of  the  Muses  and  cast  golden  grain  to  right  and  left  as  she  was 
borne  along  In  stately  procession.  Four  Muses  grouped  about  her  re- 
volved on  a  pedestal  as  the  car  rolled  along.  Loud  applause  greeted 
this  novel  spectacle. 

Although  the  great  crowd  attending  the  opening  night  gave  every 
promise  of  the  venture's  being  a  success,  the  management  lost  money 
steadily,  and  In  1855  the  Hippodrome  was  razed  to  make  room  for 
the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel. 

One  of  the  early  processions  In  New  York  about  which  few  New 
Yorkers  know  anything,  was  that  In  celebration  of  the  laying  of  the 
corner  stone  of  the  Ill-fated  Washington  Monument  In  Hamilton 
Square  on  October  19,  1847.  Hamilton  Square  extended  from  Fifth  to 
Third  Avenues,  66th  to  68th  Streets,  but  at  the  time  of  the  celebration 


FIFTH     AVENUE     EVENTS 


71 


mk 


••*    «l   AT 


From  a  print.  Collection  of  the  late  Amos  F.  Eno. 

THE  INTERIOR  OF  FRANCONFS  HIPPODROME. 

Fifth  Avenue  had  not  been  carried  through  to  Hamilton  Square.  The 
foundation  of  the  Washington  Monument  was  laid  near  the  Third 
Avenue  side  of  the  Square.  Ill  success  attended  the  monument;  it 
was  never  built  beyond  the  foundation,  and  the  contributions  toward 
its  erection  were  returned  to  the  donors. 

The  parade  was  composed  of  military  and  civic  organizations, 
including  societies,  the  fire  department,  foreign  diplomats,  and  promi- 
nent men  from  difi'erent  parts  of  the  country;  numbered  15,000  to 
20,000  persons,  and  took  two  hours  and  three-quarters  to  pass.  Led 
by  Major-General  Frederick  Pentz  as  marshal,  it  started  from  City 
Hall  Park  and  went  up  Broadway  to  14th  Street  to  Third  Avenue 
to  Hamilton  Square.  The  Mexican  War  was  then  raging,  and  the 
crowd  was  greatly  interested  in  a  mountain  battery  known  as  Captain 
Thistle's  Mounted  Artillery,  "consisting  of  guns  on  the  backs  of 
horses.  .  .  ." 

A  float  drawn  by  six  white  horses  carried  a  bust  of  Washington  on  a 
pedestal.  Thirteen  young  women,  in  white  dresses  and  liberty  caps 
and  carrying  star-tipped  wands,  were  grouped  around  it  to  represent 
the  thirteen  original  states.  A  canopy  of  American  flags  surmounted 
by  an  eagle  covered  the  float. 

It  had  been  ordered  that  the  fire  department  should  turn  off  at  23d 
Street  and  return  via  Fifth  Avenue  and  Hudson  Street  to  its  quarters. 


72 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 


"in  order   that,   from  prudential  motives,   the  apparatus  might  not 
be  taken  so  far  from  the  city  as  yid  Street."      A  mob  of  hoodlums 
gathered  at  the  corner  of  23  d   Street,   cheering   the   companies   that 
refused  to  turn  off  and  hooting,  jeering,   and  offering  forcible  resist- 
ance to  the  firemen  who  obeyed  the  regulation.     Blows  were  struck, 
and    for    some    time    there  was    a  disgraceful   scene   of    turmoil   and 
confusion. 
Dedication       The  Worth  Monument,  which  stands  on  a  triangular  plot  bounded 
o//A^  by  Broadway,  Fifth  Avenue,  24th  and  25th  Streets,  was  dedicated 
frorth  November   25,    1857,    to   the   memory   of  Major-General   William  J. 
onumen    -y^orth,  the  Mexican  War  commander  who  had   distinguished  himself 
at  Cherubusco  and  Chapultepec,  and  died  on  June  7,   1849,  at  San 
Antonio,  Texas. 

The  designer  and  builder  of  the  monument  was  James  G.  Batter- 
son.  November  25,  1857,  was  chosen  as  the  day  of  dedication,  it 
being  the  seventy-fourth  anniversary  of  the  evacuation  of  New  York 
by  the  British.  President  Buchanan  and  his  Cabinet,  Governor  John 
A.  King,  and  other  notables  were  invited  to  be  present,  but  the 
President  could  not  accept.  Rev.  Francis  Vinton,  D.D.,  of  Trinity 
Church  assisted  in  the  ceremonies. 

A  procession  of  national  guardsmen.  Masonic  organizations,  and 
distinguished  citizens  moved  up  Broadway  about  noon  from  the  City 
Hall,  where  the  remains  had  lain  in  state  under  guard  of  a  detachment 
of  the  Seventy-first  New  York  Regiment,  and  passed  through  Fifth 
Avenue  from  13th  Street  to  the  monument  at  25th  Street.  Mayor 
Fernando  Wood  delivered  an  oration  at  the  monument,  after  which 
Grand  Master  Robert  Macoy  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New  York  Masons 
gave  the  dedicatory  address. 

Curiously  enough,  the  programme  of  the  dedication  ceremonies 
announced  that  "All  persons  desiring  to  have  relics  placed  in  the  box 
.  .  .  can  do  so  by  forwarding  them  to  Alderman  Blunt,  No.  8  City 
Hall."  This  box  was  placed  in  the  corner  stone,  and  among  the 
articles  it  contained  were  General  Worth's  commission  on  parchment; 
newspaper  articles  on  Washington's  funeral  procession,  December  14, 
1799;  a  fragment  of  the  iron  chain  that  was  stretched  across  the 
Hudson  at  West  Point;  many  newspapers  and  printed  documents, 
such  as  Valentine's  "History  of  New  York,"  1853,  and  Valentine's 
Manual  for  1857;  Masonic  emblems  made  from  the  Charter  Oak; 
a  medal  struck  to  commemorate  the  union  of  the  Atlantic  with  the 
Erie  Canal;  a  Colt  revolving  pistol;  and  a  piece  of  stone  from  old 
Fort  Putnam. 

A  view  of  the  ceremonies  published  by  the  New  York  Common 
Council  shows  that  the  General's  remains  were  placed  in  a  receptacle 
in  the  base  of  the  monument.  The  monument  was  the  first  one  in 
New  York  to  be  completed  at  the  city's  expense.  It  is  a  granite 
obelisk,  upon  which  is  a  high  relief  of  General  Worth  on  horseback. 
Inscriptions  descriptive  of  his  career,  and  handsome  reliefs  in  bronze 
adorn  the  four  sides  of  the  monument. 


FIFTH     AVENUE     EVENTS 


73 


Lithograph  by  A.  Weingariner.  Collection  of  the  late  Amos  F.  Eno. 

DEDICATION  OF  THE  WORTH  MONUMENT. 

One  of  the  most  impressive  religious  ceremonies  ever  held  in  New  Dedication 
York  was  the  dedication  of  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral  on  May  25,  1879.  ^    „      .    , 
The  corner  stone  of  this  great  building  had  been  laid  by  Archbishop  ^^'  ^^j^j    ^ 
Hughes  twenty-one  years  before,  on  August  15,  1858.  Cathedral 

Before  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  a  great  crowd  began  to  gather 
about  the  cathedral,  but  a  squad  of  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  police 
kept  perfect  order,  and  only  those  with  tickets  were  allowed  to  enter 
the  building.  About  ten  o'clock  Cardinal  McCloskey  with  a  retinue 
of  bishops  and  priests  marched  into  the  chancel  at  the  rear  of  the 
cathedral,  the  Catholics  in  the  crowd  kneeling  as  he  passed.  Every 
pew  in  the  cathedral  was  filled,  but  only  the  dull  murmur  of  the  crowd 
outside  broke  the  silence.  Then  from  the  gallery  above  the  Fifth 
Avenue  doorway  the  great  organ  pealed  forth,  and  a  thurifer  with 
swinging  censer  advanced  into  the  sanctuary  from  behind  the  high 
altar,  followed  by  a  cross-bearer  carrying  the  processional  cross. 

From  either  side  of  the  sanctuary  appeared  a  boy  garbed  in  red 
cassock  and  white  surplice.  They  met  and  advanced  side  by  side 
down  the  sanctuary  and  into  the  middle  aisle,  followed  by  pair  after 
pair  similarly  dressed.  The  cross-bearer  slowly  led  the  way  down  the 
aisle  to  the  deep  peals  of  the  organ,  and  then  a  long  line  of  priests 
appeared,  clad  in  black  cassocks  and  white  surplices,  with  here  and 
there  a  Carthusian  in  brown  or  a  Dominican  in  white.  Two  by  two 
the  column  filed  slowly  down  the  aisle  toward  the  Fifth  Avenue 
entrance,  and  then  a  sudden  burst  of  bright  color  broke  the  monotony 
of  the  sombre  line.     The  sanctuary  chorus  of  the  Church  of  St.  Paul 


74  FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 

the  Apostle  appeared, — boys  dressed  in  purple  cassocks  with   bright 

scarlet  buttons  and  white  surplices. 

Solemn       And  now  the  bright  sunlight  glittered  on  the  cross  at  the  Fifth 

Brilhancy  Avenue   entrance,    and    still   the   procession   filed   from   the   sacristy. 

of  the  n^Yit  bishops  came  into  view,  in  pontifical  robes  of  gleaming  cloth  of 

eremony  ^^^^   ^^^   white   mitres,    nearly   forty   in   number,   with  Archbishops 

Purcell  of  Cincinnati  and  Gibbons  of  Baltimore  at  the  end  of  the 

line.     Next  the  scarlet  cappa  of  the  Prothonotary  Apostolic  and  the 

jewelled  Episcopal  cross  of  the  Cardinal  flashed  into  sight,  and  then 

came  the  Cardinal  himself  in  gorgeous  robes  and  golden  mitre  and 

bearing  a   crosier.     Attending  the   Cardinal  were   seven   small  boys 

in  white  cassocks  and  surplices,  who  closed  the  procession. 

A  kaleidoscope  of  gleaming  colors  flashed  in  the  sun  as  the  glittering 
pageant  poured  out  of  the  main  doorway  on  to  the  Fifth  Avenue 
sidewalk.  Reaching  the  portal,  the  Cardinal  stopped,  said  a  prayer, 
and  then  solemnly  blessed  the  great  doorway  and  sprinkled  it  with 
holy  water,  while  the  chant  of  the  "Miserere"  arose  from  the  chorus. 
Led  by  six  policemen  and  the  trustees  of  the  Cathedral,  the  procession 
passed  around  the  south  side  of  the  building  and  along  the  east  and 
north  sides.  The  Cardinal  walked  close  to  the  walls,  sprinkling  upon 
the  foundations  holy  water  from  a  golden  basin  carried  by  the  sexton. 
The  circuit  of  the  cathedral  took  some  fifteen  minutes,  and  then  the 
procession  re-entered  the  Fifth  Avenue  doorway  and  moved  up  the 
central  aisle  while  the  chorus  chanted  the  "Litany  of  the  Saints." 

The  candles  on  the  altars  were  lit,  and  the  golden  light  flashed 
from    polished    marble,    gleaming    precious    stones,    and    shimmering 
silks  of  a  hundred  hues.     As  the  line  approached  the  altar  it  divided 
to  right  and  left,  each  man  taking  his  appointed  seat.     Soon  the  side 
chapels  and  front  of  the  sanctuary  were  filled  with  a  solid  mass  of 
priests,  while  the  bishops  took  their  seats  in  double  row  on  either  side 
further  up  the  sanctuary.     The  Cardinal  made  the  sign  of  the  cross 
and  blessed  the  Cathedral  and  the  altar,  and  then  to  the  solemn  chant- 
ing of  the  choir  he  walked  with  his  attendants  slowly  around  the  inside 
of  the  walls,  blessing  them  and  sprinkling  holy  water  as  he  went.     This 
ended  the  dedication  ceremonies,  and  the  regular  services  were  then 
held.  Bishop  Ryan  of  St.  Louis  preaching  the  sermon  and  Cardinal 
McCloskey  singing  the  mass. 
Opening  of       The  formal  opening  of  the  New  York  Public  Library  on  May  23, 
the  New  York  1911,  was  attended  by  some  five  or  six  hundred  persons,  including 
Public  many  people  of  eminence.     A  small  crowd  gathered  outside  on  Fifth 
Library  Avenue  to  watch  the  arrival  of  the  dignitaries,  but  the  occasion  did 
not  attract  the  public  notice  it  deserved. 

President  Taft  and  the  other  speakers  arrived  before  two  o'clock 
and  assembled  in  the  trustees'  room  on  the  second  floor.  A  half- 
circle  of  seats  had  been  erected  in  the  main  vestibule  facing  a  tem- 
porary platform,  and  on  these  the  invited  spectators  took  their  seats. 
It  was  quite  an  exclusive  gathering  such  as  might  have  graced  a  college 
commencement  ceremony.     The  general  public  was  not  admitted. 


FIFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS  '  "   ">5 

Soon  after  two  o'clock  "The  Star-Spangled  Banner"  crashed  out 
from  a  band  in  the  rotunda,  and  the  music  rolled  in  deafening  waves 
through  the  huge  deserted  corridors.  The  audience  stood,  and  down 
the  stairway  on  the  left  of  the  vestibule  slowly  came  a  double  file  of 
men.  The  librarian,  Dr.  John  S.  Billings,  and  his  assistant,  Edward  H. 
Anderson,  headed  the  procession.  Next  came  Governor  Dix  and 
Trustee  George  L.  Rives,  Mayor  Gaynor  and  Morgan  J.  O'Brien, 
Bishop  Greer  and  Archbishop  Farley,  Andrew  Carnegie,  and  other 
noted  men.  President  Taft  and  John  Bigelow,  President  of  the 
New  York  Public  Library,  closed  the  procession,  walking  arm  in  arm. 
At  the  sight  of  the  nation's  head  and  the  venerable  Mr.  Bigelow,  the 
oldest  man  in  public  life  at  that  time,  the  audience  broke  into  loud 
applause. 

The  speakers  took  their  seats  in  a  double  row  on  the  platform.     In  Speakers 
the  front  row  sat  Park  Commissioner  Stover,  Mayor  Gaynor,  John  L.  at  the 
Cadwallader,   President  Taft,  John   Bigelow,   Governor  Dix,   Bishop  Opening 
Greer,   Archbishop    Farley,   George   L.    Rives,   Thomas   Hastings   of 
Carrere    &    Hastings,    the    building's    architects,    and    Dr.'    Billings. 
Prayer  was  offered  by  Bishop  Greer.     Mr.  Bigelow  presided,  and  in- 
troduced Mr.    Rives  as  the  first  speaker.     The    latter  sketched  the 
history  of  the  public  library,  and  was  followed  by  Architect  Hastings, 
who  formally  turned    over  the  keys  of  the  building  to  Park  Com- 
missioner Stover.     Mr.  Stover  delivered  them  to  Mayor  Gaynor,  who 
handed  them  to  Mr.  Bigelow.     Each  made  a  brief  address  as  he  re- 
ceived the  keys. 

Mr.  Bigelow  spoke  of  the  period,  then  sixty  years  ago,  when  the 
Astor  Library  was  established,  saying: — 

"This  was  the  first  free  library  ever  established  in  New  York.  To 
illustrate  the  library  poverty  of  our  city  in  the  decade  of  that  cen- 
tury which  the  Astor  Library  was  destined  to  distinguish,  I  may 
here  mention  an  experience  of  my  own.  In  the  study  of  an  article 
I  was  preparing  for  a  magazine  of  the  period  I  needed  to  consult  a 
Greek  authority,  not  strictly  a  classic.  I  could  not  find  it  in  any 
bookstore  nor  in  private  or  public  collection.  The  only  copy  to  be 
found  in  this  city  or  state  was  in  the  library  of  Columbia  College, 
then  flourishing  in  Warren  Street.  ..." 

Governor  Dix  spoke  briefly  in  praise  of  the  Library,  and  President 
Taft  concluded  the  addresses  in  clear  tones  which  made  his  the  only 
speech  of  the.  occasion  which  the  furthest-distant  auditors  could  hear 
in  entirety.  He  specially  congratulated  the  library  oflftcials  upon 
the  excellent  book  circulation  system,  declaring  it  unrivalled  any- 
where. 

The  exercises  closed  with  a  benediction  by  Archbishop  Farley,  and 
then  the  doors  were  opened  to  the  public. 

Fifth  Avenue  has  been  the  scene  of  recent  events  of  world-wide 
importance.  Among  these  are  the  Suflfrage  parade,  the  demonstration 
in  favor  of  Preparedness  and  the  recent  departure  of  the  State  Troops 
either  to  various   training  camps   or  to  the  Mexican   border.     But 


i^^^^'-^'-'-'    ^FfFTH    AVENUE     EVENTS 

these  have  occurred  so  recently,  that  they  are  still  fresh  in  the  mind 
of  every  one.  An  account  of  them,  therefore,  has  been  omitted.  In 
years  to  come.  Fifth  Avenue,  which  we  have  learned  has  been  the 
scene  of  so  many  interesting  events  of  national  importance,  will  no 
doubt  be  the  setting  of  future  events  of  civic  importance  and  perhaps 
of  even  greater  national  interest  than  these  herein  narrated. 


I 


I 


i 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


NOV  1  3  im  1  I 


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General  Library 

University  of  Californi 

Berkeley 


357079 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  UBRARY 


